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New Delhi: The Centre has appointed senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. He replaces Vineet Joshi, who has been transferred as Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle.

The appointment comes at a time when students across the country are protesting over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and demanding greater transparency, accountability and reforms in the examination system. While the timing has attracted attention, the government has not said that the transfer is linked to the ongoing controversy.

Gangwar is a 1994-batch IAS officer with nearly three decades of administrative experience. Before taking charge of the Higher Education Department, he served as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

He has an engineering background, having completed a BTech in Electronics and Communication from the University of Roorkee and an MTech in Communication from IIT Delhi. He later earned a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Rajasthan.

During his career, Gangwar has worked in both the Rajasthan government and the Centre. He has served as Principal Secretary in Rajasthan and later as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In that role, he handled matters related to pollution control, hazardous substances and environmental regulations.

Most recently, he led the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, overseeing policies related to livestock, dairy development and animal health.

As Higher Education Secretary, Gangwar will now oversee policies relating to universities, higher educational institutions, technical education and the implementation of key reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP). One of his immediate challenges will be restoring public confidence in the country’s examination system.

The officer Gangwar replaces, Vineet Joshi, is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre and has spent much of his career in the education sector.

An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, Joshi also holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). He has served as Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and later as Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts major entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE. He also headed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and held several senior positions in the Ministry of Education.

Before the reshuffle, Joshi was overseeing both the Higher Education Department and the School Education and Literacy Department. He has now been moved to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as Secretary following approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

The leadership change comes as protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak continue across the country, with students demanding examination reforms and greater accountability.