NTA to focus only on higher education entrance exams, not conduct any recruitment tests : Dharmendra Pradhan
Pradhan also said that talks are going on Health Ministry about whether the exam should be conducted in traditional pen and paper-based mode or switch to a Computer Test.
NEW DELHI: In a significant shift from its role, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will now focus solely on conducting entrance examinations for admissions to higher education institutions.
This change means that the agency will no longer oversee recruitment examinations.
Making the announcement on exam reforms, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Tuesday that the idea is to conduct "error-free exams" for which "accountability" will be fixed.
He also said that the government is considering moving to computer-adaptive tests and tech-driven entrance exams soon.
As the agency will be restructured next year, new posts are being created. “We have started the process of restructuring the NTA by creating new posts and appointing new officers. This will bring fresh energy into the organisation,” the minister said.
The move to re-structure NTA, which conducts 10 major exams in India taken by an estimated 50 lakh candidates, is part of examination reforms based on the recommendation of a high-level panel set-up earlier this year following alleged leaks and malpractice in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) medical entrance exam as well as a series of cancellations of other exams due to suspected leaks and other glitches.
On NEET-UG examinations, the minister said they are in talks with Union Health Minister J P Nadda on whether to hold the NEET-UG as a computer-based test (CBT) or pen paper-based format. "Two meetings have been held with the health minister. We will announce the modalities as early as possible," he told the media.
"NTA will be limited to conducting only entrance exams for higher education and will not conduct any recruitment exams from next year," the minister said.
On restructuring of NTA, he said ten additional posts have been created. “There will be many changes in the functioning of NTA to ensure there is zero-error testing. We want NTA to be a specialist body. We have already started recruitment."
He also said that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET- UG) will continue to be conducted once a year
Among its major recommendations, the committee observed that the NTA outstretched itself to accommodate diverse requests from many test indenting agencies for handling end-to-end operations of tests. "The NTA should primarily conduct entrance examinations. Enhancing its scope for other examinations may be considered after the capacity of the NTA is augmented," the panel said in its report.
The committee also recommended 10 specific verticals, headed at the director level. The verticals will be related to technology, products and operations, test security and surveillance. "The NTA needs to be manned with internal domain-specific human resources and a leadership team with domain expertise, proven experience and skill stes who should take charge of the testing process in the future.”
One of the major recommendations was the introduction of a DIGI-EXAM system on the lines of DIGI-YATRA to ensure that only the candidate writing the exam joined the intended programme. "Essentially, multi-stage authentication of the candidate's identity is envisaged which makes use of Aadhar and biometrics and AI-based data analytics," it said.
The committee also highlights measures to take to prevent breaches and malpractices from setting up question papers to its printing and transportation and secure testing centres.
A setting up of a grievance redressal cell was also proposed by the committee, which was headed by Prof. K. Radhakrishnan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the board of governors (BoG) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur.
Pradhan said the Grievance Reporting and Redressal cell (GRRC) will help address issues faced by students during exams. “Given the scale of exams like JEE and NEET, which see participation from millions of students, this is a critical step,” Pradhan said.
The committee said that the transition from Paper and Pencil testing (PPT) to computer-based testing (CBT) needs to be addressed comprehensively, including all associated challenges while reaching out to under-served remote areas. An interesting novel option of establishing “Mobile Test Centers” (proposed in Section 6.12) could address the issue of reaching out to the country’s remote and inaccessible locations.
The panel said that while some of the best practices may be inspired by large-scale global examinations (e.g. GRE, SAT), the takeaways from the CBSE, JEE/IIT system and AIIMS examinations will have large applicability in Indian settings.
“Adapting technological enhancements in an agency conducting high-stakes entrance examinations for millions of candidates involves strategic integration of innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, security, and candidate experience.
Leveraging cloud-based infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, mobile apps, virtual learning (VR), augmented reality (AR), natural language processing (NLP) and the Internet of Things (loT) can revolutionise the examination process,” it said.
“But by automating processes, providing secure online assessments, enabling intelligent evolution, and offering data-driver insights, an agency can optimise its operations and deliver a seamless experience to candidates. However, implementing these enhancements requires careful planning, stakeholder engagement and continuous evolution to ensure successful adoption and mitigate potential challenges,” it added.
The committee, which also included former AIIMS-Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria; Central University of Hyderabad Vice-Chancellor BJ Rao; K Ramamurthy, professor emeritus in IIT-Madras' Department of Civil Engineering, was formed to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through NTA.
Pradhan said a three-member high-powered steering committee will be set up to monitor the implementation of these recommendations. The committee will be headed by Prof. Radhakrishnan only. "It will be a neutral body," the minister said.
In July, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition demanding cancellation and re-test of the NEET UG 2024 exam. The CJI had said no data was on record to indicate a systemic leak of question papers and other malpractices.
The committee, which was constituted on June 22, 2024, held around 30 meetings and proposed 101 recommendations to ensure the “smooth and fair” conduct of exams. (The New Indian Express)
