As protests escalate over the NEET paper leak, Education Secretary Vineet Joshi was removed from the post on Thursday night. Joshi had been serving as the School Education Secretary after Sanjay Kumar retired on June 30th. He was also the acting Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). According to officials, Joshi will now be posted as the Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Following Vineet Joshi's removal from the Education Department, Naresh Kumar Gangwar has been appointed the new Higher Education Secretary, while T.K. Anil Kumar has been given the responsibility of School Education Secretary.
A 1992 batch IAS officer, Joshi holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur.
Interestingly, he was the first director general of the National Testing Agency established in 2017 to conduct engineering, medical, and other entrance exams. He remained the director till 2021, and over the last few years, NTA has been under constant scrutiny for alleged irregularities in JEE, CUET, UGC, and NEET recruitment exams.
The controversy surrounding the UGC Equity Regulations 2026 also emerged during his tenure, with allegations of discrimination against the general category, leading to the matter reaching the Supreme Court.
Many believe Joshi’s removal is also a message that the government wants to convey a message of accountability, at least at the top level.
After the Education Minister, the most important position is that of the Secretary of the Higher Education Department. This official implements the ministry's policies, manages the budget, oversees university management, and provides administrative oversight to institutions like the National Testing Agency (NTA). Therefore, any change in this position has a direct impact on the entire education system.
However, the government hasn't stated that his transfer was due to the NEET controversy.
