IAS Officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram Appointed CBSE Chairperson
Senior bureaucrat Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a 2001-batch IAS officer, has taken charge as the new CBSE Chairperson on an additional charge basis while retaining his role at the Home Ministry. He will lead India's largest education board until a permanent appointment is made.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has a new leader. Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a veteran IAS officer from the AGMUT cadre, has been appointed as CBSE Chairperson on an additional charge basis. The appointment comes with the understanding that he will continue in his current role as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, balancing responsibilities across both positions until the government finalizes a permanent Chairperson for the board.
Lokhande, who belongs to the 2001 batch of the Indian Administrative Service, brings significant professional credentials to the role. His academic background includes engineering qualifications and specialization in industrial management, positioning him with technical expertise and administrative acumen. The AGMUT cadre, which manages territories under central government administration, has developed his governance experience across multiple portfolios throughout his career. His appointment aims to provide stability and continuity to CBSE operations during the transition period.
The CBSE oversees secondary and senior secondary education across thousands of schools nationwide, making the Chairperson's role critical to educational policy implementation. With approximately 28,000 schools affiliated to the board and millions of students undertaking board examinations annually, any leadership transition requires careful management. By appointing Lokhande on an additional charge basis, the Centre ensures experienced administrative oversight while the search for a regular, full-time Chairperson proceeds through formal channels.
This arrangement reflects a common practice in Indian civil service when institutional continuity is paramount. Additional charge appointments allow senior officials to step in quickly without requiring lengthy recruitment processes, ensuring that board functions—from curriculum development to examination management to affiliation matters—continue without disruption. Students, schools, and parents rely on stable CBSE administration for predictable examination schedules and educational standards.
Lokhande's appointment also demonstrates the government's confidence in his administrative capability to manage a large national institution alongside his Home Ministry duties. His engineering background may prove relevant as CBSE increasingly integrates technology into examination systems and educational delivery. The appointment period will remain in effect until the Centre announces a regular Chairperson through established selection procedures, at which point Lokhande will revert to his full-time Home Ministry responsibilities.
Education stakeholders will be watching how the new leadership addresses ongoing issues such as examination reforms, curriculum updates, and the board's digital transformation initiatives.
