The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has a new chairman. The Centre has appointed 2001-batch IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari as the head of the school education board, bringing an administrator with a medical background to the top post.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Bhandari’s appointment, according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on September 25. He has been appointed in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India, with the post temporarily upgraded for the purpose.Bhandari, an officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, will replace Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been holding additional charge of CBSE chairman after the Centre transferred his predecessor, Rahul Singh, in June.Who is Mandeep K Bhandari?Mandeep K Bhandari is a 2001-batch Indian Administrative Service officer with more than two decades of administrative experience. His service record shows that he has held several senior positions at the district, Union Territory and Central government levels.He is currently serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. His previous assignments have included Deputy Commissioner of Leh and Jammu, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Commissioner/Secretary in the J&K Government and Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.From medical college to the IASWhat makes Bhandari’s profile particularly notable is his academic background.He completed his MBBS from Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, and was a gold medallist. His educational record on the Department of Personnel and Training’s public portal also lists his MBBS qualification from Punjab University, Chandigarh, with the medical college recording him as a gold medallist.After completing his medical education, Bhandari joined the Indian Administrative Service and went on to hold a series of key administrative assignments.A career spanning several key assignmentsOver the course of his career, Bhandari has worked in a number of important roles, including Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Additional District Development Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Divisional Commissioner and senior positions in the J&K administration.He also served as Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for several years and later handled responsibilities related to health and medical education in Jammu and Kashmir.Appointment comes after CBSE’s OSM controversyBhandari takes charge of CBSE at a time when the board is dealing with questions surrounding its digital evaluation system.The On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for evaluating Class 12 answer sheets came under scrutiny after students and parents raised complaints about alleged answer-sheet mix-ups, portal glitches, payment-related problems and delays in accessing answer sheets and seeking re-evaluation.On June 2, the Centre transferred then CBSE chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta and ordered an inquiry into the procurement of OSM services. Lokhande Prashant Sitaram was subsequently given charge of the chairperson’s post.Bhandari’s appointment therefore comes at a crucial point for the board, with examination administration, digital evaluation systems and related reforms among the issues likely to remain on its agenda.