New Delhi: In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle at a time when the Ministry of Education is under intense public and political scrutiny over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the Centre on Thursday appointed new secretaries for both the Department of Higher Education and the Department of School Education and Literacy.
The appointments mark a rare simultaneous change in the administrative leadership of the ministry’s two key departments responsible for school and higher education, even as the government continues to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and faces growing demands for examination reforms.
The Centre has appointed Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS, Rajasthan cadre, 1994 batch) as Secretary, Department of Higher Education. Gangwar, who is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will succeed Vineet Joshi (IAS, Manipur cadre, 1992 batch).
Joshi has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj following the impending superannuation of incumbent Vivek Bhardwaj on July 31.
In another key appointment, T.K. Anil Kumar (IAS, Karnataka cadre, 1995 batch) has been named Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy. He is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development and will replace Sanjay Kumar.
The reshuffle comes at a crucial juncture for India’s education sector. Besides implementing NEP 2020, the Ministry of Education is steering reforms in school curriculum, digital learning, higher education governance, research and innovation, internationalisation of universities and examination systems.
The leadership change also coincides with nationwide protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Student organisations and opposition parties have demanded greater accountability in the examination system, while disruptions over the issue have repeatedly stalled proceedings in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session. Although the government has not linked the bureaucratic reshuffle to the controversy, the incoming secretaries will assume office at a time when restoring confidence in public examinations has become one of the ministry’s most pressing challenges.
The appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) as part of a wider secretary-level reshuffle across multiple ministries and departments of the Government of India.
For the education sector, the appointments signal a fresh administrative leadership that will oversee the next phase of NEP implementation, school education reforms and higher education policy at a time when governance and examination integrity remain under the national spotlight.
