New tech chief at DOE after snowstorm system failure

Metro

By Aneeta Bhole

The city Department of Education has named a new tech chief in the wake of a remote schooling meltdown that left parents, students and teachers frustrated and outraged as they tried to navigate the system during a recent snowstorm.

Intekhab Shakil, most recently the chief information officer at the city Law Department, will be tasked with supervising technology used across the largest school district in the country, beginning on Monday.

“New York City Public Schools needed a visionary ready to join me in moving our schools into the future, prioritizing student safety, and advocating for continued accessibility for all. I am thrilled to have found this partner in Intekhab Shakil,” Chancellor David Banks said in a statement to The Post.

Shakil has a tremendous job ahead of him as the DOE’s chief technology officer after dozens of parents and teachers exposed serious glitches in the city’s remote learning plan during the Feb. 13 storm.

Critics blasted the city for failing to have a tech leader in place during the blunder — after former chief information officer Anuraag Sharma stepped down over the summer following a hack that compromised 45,000 confidential student and staff records. Sharma had held the position for four years.

Shakil has been described as a welcome arrival as the DOE works to prioritize student safety and accessibility at the city’s 1,819 public schools.

Banks lauded the numerous digital transformations and work in cybersecurity Shakil spearheaded during his tenure at the Law Department — but was most impressed by his previous role with New York Public Schools, as the chief product officer.

“Shakil’s experience in city government, helping to lead our families through the pandemic, and also as a father himself, have assured me that he will serve our school communities as a tireless advocate and champion,” Banks said.

The DOE boss and Mayor Eric Adams came under fire over the remote learning mess that unfolded after they had insisted the city was ready for kids to be instructed from home rather than get a snow day.

The Adams administration blamed tech issues on IBM insisting that the DOE’s internal team had “checked all the boxes.”

Banks apologized and vowed to investigate the tech problems but failed to address the number of hurdles surfaced by a Post investigation.

Shakil declined an interview request from The Post.