Pune: Dr. Prabhakar Desai, Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies and former Head of the Marathi Department at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), has been appointed as the Acting Director of the Examination and Evaluation Board. His appointment comes after the completion of Dr. Mahesh Kakade’s tenure on February 10.

For several days, there was widespread curiosity about who would take over the challenging role of Director, as the university had not initiated the selection process for a permanent replacement. Despite the necessity of appointing a full-time director, the university administration overlooked this critical process.

Ultimately, SPPU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Suresh Gosavi assigned the additional responsibility to Dr. Prabhakar Desai, ensuring that the university’s examination system remains operational.

Dr. Desai formally took charge on Wednesday (February 12) in the presence of Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr. Parag Kalkar, Acting Registrar Dr. Jyoti Bhakare, Management Council Member Dr. Jyotsna Ekbote, Principal Dr. Nitin Ghorpade, IQAC Director Dr. Vinayak Joshi, and various deputy registrars and examination department officials.

The Examination and Evaluation Board is one of the most demanding divisions at the university. The Director is responsible for:

• Ensuring timely conduct of university exams

• Overseeing the evaluation of answer sheets

• Publishing results within set deadlines

Historically, the Director of the Examination Department has faced repeated student movements, protests, and criticism over delays and operational inefficiencies. Now, Dr. Prabhakar Desai is expected to deal with these challenges head-on, making his role one of the toughest administrative positions at SPPU.