Wanted CBSE chief with 15 yrs experience8230;no, make it 3

In a move that could change the way the Central Board of Secondary Education functions...

In a move that could change the way the Central Board of Secondary Education CBSE functions, the Human Resource Development HRD Ministry has changed rules to draw more 8220;inspiring, younger and versatile8221; candidates to head the school education body.

With the entire selection process for the CBSE chairperson coming to a naught and throwing up no names good enough for the high profile post earlier this year, the HRD Ministry has revised rules framed for selection of the chairperson broadening its scope considerably to ensure it gets quality candidates in the fray.

While rules, in effect, so far stipulated that a candidate must have some 15 years of administrative experience among other eligibility criteria, the new set of eligibility criteria will allow candidates with just three years of experience in educational administration at a senior level of grade of Director to the Government of India to apply for the CBSE top post.

The post has been opened to Central, state government, semi-government and autonomous organisation officers in the pay scale of Rs 14,300-18,300 and up to 56 years of age on transfer on deputation basis. Even Director-level officials will be able to apply for the post.

8220;The rules have been revised to attract the best of candidates for the important post across sectors. A new committee has been set up for selection of a new CBSE chairman and applications have been invited. The selection process should be completed in another two months. The new rules will allow younger candidates with varied experience to apply for the post, allowing more latitude in the selection process and making place for the 45-50 year old candidates as well. So far it was always 52 years up candidates applying,8221; said a senior official.

With clauses like 15 years of administrative experience hemming in the selection process, the three-member committee constituted to zero in on a candidate this year could not find any suitable names for the top CBSE position and had to scrap the whole process because none of the six names shortlised was found 8216;inspiring8217; enough.

In fact, some committee members said that the names that came up were not only 8220;uninspiring8221; but also in some cases quite appalling.

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While Ashok Ganguly finished his tenure as CBSE chairperson in early August this year and Secretary Vineet Joshi was appointed as acting director, the HRD ministry was worried that even if another selection committee would be constituted to look for suitable candidates to fill in Ganguly8217;s shoes, the effort may go the same way as this one.

The selection committee had felt that that the rules were such as to prevent 8220;a whole catchment of good candidates8221; from making it to the top CBSE post only because they did not fulfill criteria like 15 years of administrative experience. The committee was of the view that rules should be so that even people in non-administration sectors for less than 15 years but those who have shown a stellar performance in their area of work should be considered for the job.

8220;These rules for the selection process were framed nearly 20 years back and while it is not as if they are irrelevant, it is a fact that some of them may not be very applicable now. Hence, the ministry felt that these rules need to revised to reflect current realities and changes in the academic world as well8221;, said a senior official from the HRD Ministry.

Ashok Ganguly was appointed chairperson of CBSE for 5 years in May 2000 but when his term ended ended in May 2005, he was given an extension for another three years. He was given another three year extension in May 2008.