Names proposed by Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani, for the post of CBSE chairman have been rejected by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on grounds that her ministry ‘had not adhered to recruitment rules while evaluating experience criteria of candidates.’
The CBSE has been without a chairman since December 2014.
Irani had entrusted Satbir Singh with the responsibility to head the board in the interim making it abundantly clear that he was the ministry’s top preference.
But, the ACC has taken away the responsibility from Singh and, instead, given Y S K Seshu Kumar — a Joint Secretary in the ministry — the additional charge of CBSE chairman.
There are reports that the cabinet secretary, PK Sinha, had raised several objections to the names primarily over the “experience criteria” used to shortlist their names. He said that the the advertisement had not specifically mentioned the minimum three-year experience in educational administration required under recruitment rules.
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While deciding to scrap the list of names propsoed by Irani, the ACC has directed her ministry to complete the selection process within two months and submit its proposal to the ACC for consideration before October 31.
This fresh allegation to prefer relatively inexperienced individuals to head key educational institutions and departments comes after Modi government’s critics accused it of promoting mediocrity over talents in the FTII controversy.
Students in FTII have been protesting for months against the appointment of relatively less accomplished TV actor of yesteryear to as the head of what’s been an iconic institution.