Education Jobs
oi-Gaurav Sharma
National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to completely revamp its examination system after facing severe backlash over paper errors and other irregularities. The proposed changes include removing 600 experts from the panel, a four-tier question paper review system, additional recruitment, and enhanced security measures in the NTA offices.
The proposal was discussed in a meeting chaired by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, where NTA Director General Abhishek Singh presented the measures taken by the agency to address the concerns raised by the government regarding NEET-UG and UGC-NET exam controversies.
Following NEET-UG and UGC-NET controversies, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is overhauling its exam system with a four-tier review, removal of 600 experts, new hires, and enhanced security. Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi reviewed the proposed measures and a plan for a comprehensive audit.
The four-tier scrutiny process would involve additional checks for factual, typographical, and subject-specific errors in the question papers before they are released to the candidates. The NTA has also taken steps to reconstitute the expert committee by removing 600 members and appointing new experts.
Meanwhile, the Union Education Ministry has also proposed to strengthen the agency by recruiting 20 to 25 additional personnel in the next two to three weeks. The ministry has also proposed a comprehensive recruitment and induction plan for the NTA.
The ministry has also directed the NTA to tighten security at its office premises. The NTA will soon relocate to new offices where Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel will be deployed to provide physical security and control access to the building. The ministry has also asked the agency to conduct a complete audit of the question paper-setting process, moderation process, print, distribution, computer-based testing, and grievance-redressal mechanism.
The NTA recently took the controversial decision to re-conduct the UGC-NET exams in three subjects after complaints of paper errors. The Union Education Ministry had formed a committee to look into the complaints, which confirmed the irregularities and recommended re-exams.
The decision to re-conduct the exams has been severely opposed by various student organisations, including NSUI, SFI, AISA, and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan. ABVP has also demanded action against the concerned authorities and said that the students’ hard work and dedication should not be wasted on such irregularities.
Since the NTA conducts a large number of prestigious exams in the country, the proposed changes would enhance the credibility of the agency. However, the success of the proposed changes would depend on their effective implementation, which would help restore the faith of millions of students who rely on the exams conducted by the NTA.
