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According to the order issued on September 25, 2026, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment. He has been appointed as CBSE Chairperson in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India and the post has been temporarily upgraded for the appointment.
Before the appointment, Mandeep K Bhandari was serving as the Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He is a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre. He will now take over the regular responsibilities of CBSE Chairperson from Lokhande Prashant Sitaram.
Bhandari’s appointment comes as the third change in CBSE leadership in less than four months. On June 2, the Centre transferred then Chairperson Rahul Singh and appointed Lokhande Prashant Sitaram as CBSE Chairperson on the same day. Later, Sitaram was appointed Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and was given additional charge of CBSE.
Leadership Change at CBSE Amid OSM System
The change has taken place against the backdrop of administrative action following questions raised over CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Under OSM, answer sheets were scanned and evaluated through a digital process. Complaints related to the evaluation and result processes had emerged following the implementation of the system.
On June 2, the central government constituted a one-member committee to examine the procurement process for OSM services. The committee was headed by S. Radha Chauhan, Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission. The committee was tasked with examining matters related to the procurement of services for the OSM system.
As part of the same administrative reshuffle, then CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta was repatriated to his parent cadre, while Varun Bhardwaj was appointed in his place. The review of the OSM system remained an important issue amid these leadership changes at CBSE.
CBSE Responsibilities and Education Reforms
CBSE conducts board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 for schools affiliated with it in India and abroad. In addition, the board handles school affiliation, academic responsibilities and examination-related processes.
The responsibilities of CBSE also include implementing examination and curriculum reforms linked to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The new Chairperson will therefore be responsible for several administrative matters related to the examination system, digital evaluation, school affiliation and academic reforms.
Administrative Change in Ministry of Education
As part of the same reshuffle, Ankita Mishra Bundela has been transferred from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. For her appointment, a vacant Joint Secretary post in the department has been temporarily upgraded. Her appointment was also approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
With Mandeep K Bhandari’s appointment, CBSE has seen its third leadership change since June 2026. He will now be responsible for handling the board’s examination system, digital evaluation and administrative processes related to school education.
