Secretary, R Meenakshi Sundaram has taken charge of the School Education Department from Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh. Shortly after assuming charge of the important department, Sundaram met the additional secretary Jyoti Yadav and received updates of the department. Later talking to The Pioneer, he said that education is an important department and it is challenging one too. He said that examinations are due and that the vacations thereafter would give him ample time to firm up new strategies to be implemented from the next academic year.
Those associated with the department are of the view that Sundaram, who has a reputation of being highly efficient officer, would ensure more coordination in the department. However, the new secretary would have to deal with powerful unions of the teachers inclined to pressure the government. The issue of recruitment of guest faculty, continuing agitation Federation of Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) qualified unemployed youths and pending court cases would also test the ability of the new incumbent.
Apart from these issues, the department has been facing a big challenge to implement the declaration of the education minister Arvind Pandey of National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) books being compulsorily implemented in all the schools of the state.