When IAS officer Suraj Mandhare, who was the Nashik Collector, was appointed Commissioner of Education in Maharashtra, history repeated itself, in that he also joined the education sector, like his father. It was a proud moment for him as he can now take the baton from his father who started his career as a teacher and retired as a principal of a college.
In an exclusive interview to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Suraj Mandhare, IAS, shared how his father, who served as a teacher, is inspiring him in the new posting and in his vision for the education sector.
SHAPING FUTURE GENERATIONS
Mr. Mandhare said that education is one of the most important portfolios as it shapes the future of generations. It is a subject very close to his heart. “On getting the post of Commissioner of Education, I am overwhelmed in more ways than one. It offers me an opportunity to learn and experiment simultaneously,” he told Indian Masterminds.
FATHER SERVED AS A TEACHER
It is a proud moment for Mr. Mandhare to be in charge of educations affairs because his father started his career as a teacher and retired as a principal of a college.
“I have a lasting influence, as he was an extremely devoted teacher and earned almost all awards which anyone can think of. My father, while working as supervisor of high school, used to design timetable for the entire school. Though he could take up divisions of his choice, he always used to take up low performing divisions and work on those students through free tuitions early in the morning and always delivered 100% result of that division.”
His father’s selfless work has always inspired Mr. Mandhare to volunteer for difficult assignments and succeed with hard efforts.
FOCUS ON THREE VERTICALS
On his visions for the development in the education sector of Maharashtra, he said that he and his team will focus on mainly three verticals:
a. Impactful steps to check malpractices
b. Measures to strengthen good practices
c. Programme to introduce innovation
AS COLLECTOR NASHIK
In his previous assignment as Collector Nashik, Mr. Mandhare took some courageous decisions which were much appreciated by the people of the district.
“It was tough but a very satisfying tenure. The moment the news of my transfer flashed, I received hundreds of calls expressing gratitude towards me. Though we were facing one of the worst calamities ever, we excelled in our regular work. We achieved our revenue targets, earned IIPA award for maximum timely delivery of services, etc.”
Mr. Mandhare not only excelled in his regular work but he,along with 40 other officers,went beyond call of duty and voluntarily took the responsibility of Covid orphans who lost their parents during the pandemic.
AS CEO, PUNE ZILA PARISHAD
Before joining as Collector, Nashik, he was posted as Chief Executive Officer of the Pune Zila Parishad. Here also, he launched many initiatives and projects to improve educational standards, in many parameters.
As a result, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) revealed that Pune district improved substantially in its rank in education in the government schools.
Before 2019, the ranking of Pune district would always be near 20.However, during Mr. Mandhare’s tenure, Pune came in top three in the list.
