Centre Replaces Higher Education Secretary In Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle Amid Student Protests | Education and Career News
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Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the new Higher Education Secretary, replacing Vineet Joshi. Also, TK Anil Kumar will be the new Secretary, Department of School Education
Naresh Pal Gangwar will be the new education secretary. File image
Amid a political impasse over demands for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the central government has transferred Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi out of the ministry as part of a broader administrative reshuffle.
Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer previously serving as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has been appointed as the new Higher Education Secretary. Meanwhile, Vineet Joshi (IAS: 1992: Manipur)—who took charge of Higher Education in late December 2024 after serving as Manipur’s Chief Secretary during its civil strife—has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He succeeds Vivek Bhardwaj upon his superannuation on July 31, 2026. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has also appointed TK Anil Kumar (IAS: Karnataka cadre,1995) as Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
Institutional Crisis and Protests
Gangwar takes charge of the Higher Education Department at a crucial juncture as the ministry faces severe credibility challenges. Mounting student discontent over the handling of national entrance exams, including NEET, and concerns regarding the CBSE evaluation system have triggered widespread protests.
Parliamentary proceedings have been repeatedly disrupted by opposition members demanding high-level accountability and the Education Minister’s resignation. Concurrently, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has maintained sustained demonstrations at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to push for systemic reforms and administrative transparency.
Key Appointments in the Senior Administrative Reshuffle
The government described the transfer of 13 senior bureaucrat positions as routine. Key appointments include:
- Katikithala Srinivas (IAS: 1989: Gujarat): Formerly Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; appointed Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
- Vineet Joshi (IAS: 1992: Manipur): Outgoing Secretary, Department of Higher Education; appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS: 1994: Rajasthan): Outgoing Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying; appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education.
- Piyush Goyal (IAS: 1994: Nagaland): Formerly Secretary, Ministry of Mines; appointed Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of Secretary.
- TK Anil Kumar (IAS: 1995: Karnataka): Formerly Additional Secretary, Department of Rural Development; appointed Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
- Sushil Kumar Lohani (IAS: 1995: Odisha): Formerly Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj; appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying. He will subsequently assume full charge as Secretary upon Gangwar’s transition.
Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the new Higher Education Secretary, replacing Vineet Joshi. Gangwar previously served as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
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Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from gr…Read More
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