New Delhi, August 17: In response to recent concerns regarding examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), Union Education Minister Prakash Javadekar convened a high-level meeting on Monday to review the agency’s operations. He directed a comprehensive audit of all examination processes.
The Ministry of Education stated that the NTA must prepare a report reviewing every stage of the examination system, identifying any shortcomings, and outlining corrective measures.
Attendees at the meeting included the Secretary of the Higher Education Department, the Director-General of the NTA, and other senior officials. During the discussions, the Education Minister emphasized strict adherence to established examination rules.
Additionally, he ordered significant improvements to be implemented urgently regarding the confidential operational structure, the use of separate rooms, air-gapped systems, and protocols for the submission of electronic devices.
The NTA has been instructed to conduct a thorough audit of all examination processes and submit a report on corrective actions taken.
During the meeting, it was reported that over 50 employees had been removed from the NTA. Advertisements for ten new professional leadership positions, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, General Manager of Test Security, General Manager of Research and Development, and Psychometrics, have been issued, with appointments underway. Domain experts from the private sector are being brought in for cybersecurity, psychometrics, question paper design, and other specialized areas.
This initiative comes at a time when the NTA announced on Sunday that it would re-conduct the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for English Sociology and Commerce due to multiple errors found in the question papers. This has intensified criticism of the testing agency regarding the conduct of competitive examinations.
During the review meeting, emphasis was placed on strengthening security arrangements at various levels to protect question papers and other sensitive examination materials. The use of computer systems isolated from external networks will reduce the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive examination content.
Meanwhile, the NTA has begun recruitment for ten new professional leadership positions, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, and General Manager for examination security, as well as General Manager for Research and Development and Psychometric Assessment.
The process of appointing experts to these positions is ongoing. The aim is to enhance the technical and professional robustness of the examination system by incorporating private sector expertise.
The services of these experts will primarily be utilized in cybersecurity, psychological assessment, question paper creation, and other specialized technical fields. This initiative aims to enhance expertise in question paper creation and examination security processes, addressing potential shortcomings effectively.
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