State cancels appointment of external experts to edu panels

MUMBAI: With just a month to go for Class 12 board exams, the state education department has scrapped all non-governmental appointments on state board committees. The committees are responsible for key decisions taken by the board, including conducting exams and passing the budget.

In a government resolution issued on Wednesday, the education department stated that appointments of nearly 130 experts on various committees of the state board and different divisional boards stand cancelled. The list includes teachers, principals and members of school managements. “All of these previous appointments stand cancelled with immediate effect,” reads the resolution. The previous government had appointed experts as nongovernmental representatives on the committees in September 2019. While the committees were a common feature until 2013, they were disbanded in 2014, after which several members moved court over the issue. As a result of ongoing litigation, the committees did not have any non-government representatives.

The state education department officials said that the chief minister’s office had instructed all the departments to scrap the earlier committees.

“The previous government had appointed committees in the last days of its tenure. These appointments were also not ratified. Hence, a decision has now been taken to scrap them. The procedure for fresh appointments would start soon and these posts will be filled within the next few days,” said a senior official from the department.