West Bengal: Dipak Barman is school education minister; Jagannath Chattopadhyay gets higher edu

The Governor of West Bengal has approved the re-allocation of the newly-formed WB government’s cabinet ministers under the leadership of the Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Dipak Barman has been allocated the school education department, while Jagannath Chattopadhyay takes charge of the higher and technical education paired with the skill development sector.

The education portfolios have been distributed across multiple tiers of the ministry. Cabinet Minister Kshudiram Tudu takes hold of the Madrasah education and Tribal Development and Minority Affairs ministry.

The Madrasah Education has been clubbed with Tribal Development and Minority Affairs under Cabinet Minister Shri Kshudiram Tudu. Among the ministers of state with independent charge, Indranil Khan has been given charge of the Youth Services and Sports alongside Consumer Affairs portfolio.

West Bengal education ministry cabinet portfolio

Moreover, at the minister of state level, Hare Krishna Bera will look after Higher Education and Technical Education, Training and Skill Development sector. Koushik Chowdhury holds School Education with Fire and Emergency Services branch.

In addition, WB Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has taken charge of the home and hill affairs department, along with land and land reforms, refugee relief, and rehabilitation, department of power, information and cultural affairs, department of personnel and administrative reforms.

In May 2026, the West Bengal government signed a pact with the Union Ministry of Education (MoE) to be part of the PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) Schools initiative.

Under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2026, the West Bengal govt will transform selected schools into “model institutions of excellence."