Centre Forms High-Level Committee to Reform National Testing Agency Examination Processes

New Delhi: The Central Government has announced the formation of a high-level committee to ensure the smooth and fair conduct of exams administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), including NEET and other critical examinations. The committee will be chaired by K. Radhakrishnan, the former Chairman of ISRO and the current Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Kanpur.

The Ministry of Education disclosed that the committee has been tasked with submitting a report within two months. Its mandate includes recommending reforms to the examination process, improving data security protocols, and evaluating the structure and functioning of the NTA.

“The committee will submit the report in two months and will make necessary recommendations on reform in the mechanism of the examination process, improvement in data security protocols, and structure and functioning of NTA,” an official from the Ministry of Education stated.

The committee’s esteemed members include:

• Dr. Randeep Guleria, Former Director of AIIMS Delhi
• Prof. B J Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad
• Prof. Ramamurthy K, Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
• Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder of People Strong and Board Member of Karmayogi Bharat
• Prof. Aditya Mittal, Dean of Student Affairs, IIT Delhi
• Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education

The committee’s Terms of Reference encompass several key areas:

1. Reform in the Examination Process: Analyzing the end-to-end examination process to suggest measures for improving system efficiency and preventing potential breaches.
2. Review of SOPs/Protocols: Conducting a thorough review of the NTA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and protocols to recommend enhancements and ensure compliance at every level.
3. Data Security Improvements: Evaluating existing data security processes and protocols, and proposing measures for their enhancement.
4. Security Protocols for Exam Processes: Examining current security protocols related to paper-setting and other processes for different examinations, and making recommendations to bolster the system’s robustness.
5. Structure and Functioning of NTA: Proposing changes to the organizational structure and functioning of the NTA, aimed at clearly defining roles and responsibilities at every level to implement the committee’s recommendations effectively.

This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring that the examination process remains fair, secure, and efficient, ultimately benefiting millions of students across the country.