Radhakrishnan panel recommends restructuring of NTA, calls for better coordination with states

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressing a press conference at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ANI

Former President of Indian Space Research Organization K. A high-level committee of experts headed by Radhakrishnan has recommended restructuring of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while talking to reporters about the report submitted to the Union Ministry of Education recently said that NTA will be restructured in 2025 as per the recommendations of the panel.

A seven-member panel was appointed in June this year following complaints that the question papers of the Common University Entrance Examination Graduate (CUET-UG) were leaked.

The panel has recommended Digi-Examination to make the examination process fair on the grounds of Digi-Yatra. According to the report, such a system will ensure that only the candidates taking the exam join the program. “Essentially, verification at the stages of application, testing, admission/induction and study/work…” the report said.

The panel recommended the formation of an empowered and accountable governing body with three designated sub-committees to oversee trial audit, ethics and transparency, nomination and staff conditions and stakeholder relations. “NTA needs to be manned with internal domain-specific human resources and a leadership team of domain expertise, proven experience and skill set to take charge of the testing process in the future,” the report said, adding that NTA should primarily operate the gateway. Examinations. “After increasing the capacity of NTA, consideration can be given to increase its scope for other examinations,” the report said.

The Director General should be an officer below the level of Additional Secretary to the Central Government under the Central Staffing Scheme, the report said and recommended 10 specific verticals for the NTA to lead at the Director level.

To address complaints from states, the panel said that NTA should develop institutional linkages with state/district authorities to provide secure test administration tools. “The committee recommends the formation of coordinating committees at the state and district levels with prescribed roles and responsibilities,” the report said.

The panel in the report recommended three policy interventions such as multi-session testing for CUET entrance exams, multi-phase testing for NEET-UG and popularizing multi-subject streams.

“The criteria and methodology of the normalization process, which is an integral part of multi-session testing, should be well defined, established, documented, and transparently communicated for each test,” it said. The panel has recommended a coherent series of measures to prevent violations and malpractices in the conduct of examinations.

Elaborate precautions have been taken in question paper setting, printing, transportation, selection of examination center, seat allotment, frisking, measures to prevent impersonation, handling of unused OMR sheets and question papers, transportation behind OMR sheets and declaration of results.

Mr. Pradhan said that NTA will be restructured in 2025 and new posts will be created. “NTA will only conduct entrance exams for higher education and will not conduct any entrance exams from next year,” Mr. Pradhan said and added that CUET-UG would be conducted once a year.