Dinesh Prasad Saklani from HNB Garhwal University Appointed as NCERT’s new Director

Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani from HNB Garhwal University has been appointed as the new director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). He has replaced Hrushikesh Senapaty, who finished his term a year ago.

Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani currently teaches in the department of history, ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology at the HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand. Prof Dinesh did his PhD in History from Garhwal University in the year 1996 and has been serving as the Chauras campus director since 2017. Earlier, professor Dinesh was also appointed as an expert in the core group of experts by NCERT where he contributed to preparing the curriculum according to the New Education Policy for Social Sciences in September 2020.

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Besides this, he has also authored several books including one titled Ramayana Tradition in Historical Perspective and another one which talks about the ancient communities of the central Himalaya region. He has previously also served as convenor of the central purchase committee and library committee and as a nodal officer for National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).

After taking charge as the new NCERT director, professor Dinesh will be responsible for the administration of the affairs of the council and the institutions of the council under the president of the Executive Committee of NCERT. According to The Indian Express, professor Dinesh will also oversee the drafting of the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The framework will provide guidelines for the changes in the curriculum.

Reportedly, the search-cum-selection committee, constituted to select the director, interviewed several individuals from within the NCERT. These include Dr Gouri Srivastava, head of NCERT’s Department of Education in Social Sciences; Prof Sridhar Srivastava, acting NCERT director; and Prof PC Agarwal, principal of the Bhubaneswar Regional Institute of Education (RIE) among others.

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