In a major move, the government-appointed panel on examination reforms has proposed a comprehensive restructuring of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts important national entrance exams like JEE and NEET. Former ISRO Chairman K. The seven-member panel, headed by Radhakrishnan, was set up following allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG examination in June.
The panel’s report released on Tuesday was unveiled by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, which announced that the NTA will no longer conduct admission tests from 2025. Instead, it will focus only on entrance exams for higher education institutions (HEIs). The government also plans to introduce computer-adaptive tests — a technology-driven approach — for future entrance exams. Pradhan informed that 10 new posts will be added to NTA in 2025 to restructure and strengthen its operations.
Among the panel’s key recommendations are stricter protocols for safe transport of question papers. This includes the use of secure courier services, stamped by authorized authorities and validated by NTA before dispatch. Containers should be locked, monitored during transit and handed over to testing centers under CCTV surveillance and NTA supervision. The panel also asked the NTA to establish strict security measures, regularly updated by internal analysts, to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the examination.
The trigger behind these recommendations? The recent NEET UG paper leak controversy, which highlighted glaring weaknesses in the examination process, has prompted calls for tighter security and reforms.
How was the NEET UG 2024 paper leaked?
The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET UG) for undergraduate programs, conducted by the National Examinations Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, unexpectedly sparked a national controversy that called for sweeping reforms. What started as a routine examination would soon uncover a complex scam, culminating in a detailed investigation and recommendations for major changes to the NTA’s examination protocols.
The first red flag appeared on May 17, when a petition was filed in the Supreme Court alleging a possible question paper leak. Meanwhile, on June 4, NTA announced the NEET UG results, along with the announcement of India’s Lok Sabha election results. The unusually high number of toppers raised suspicions, and reports surfaced of “favour marks” being given to specific students. This has fueled protests by students and parents demanding a re-examination. The controversy escalated after several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court after political leaders joined the chorus for a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularities.
On June 11, the Supreme Court took note of the situation, issuing notices to both the NTA and the central government. Two days later, the court ordered a re-examination for 1,563 candidates who got “favour marks”. The Ministry of Education has denied the allegations of corruption and said it is ready to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. By June 15, another petition was filed demanding re-evaluation of all answer sheets to ensure fairness for all candidates. A day later, the Education Minister acknowledged the validity of the allegations and admitted that there were flaws in the security standards of the exam.
The Supreme Court on June 20 directed the Bihar and Gujarat police to submit a detailed report after the investigation into the paper leak. Investigation into the leak intensified after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sent officials to Patna on June 25. A report by the Bihar Police’s Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) revealed that the leakage may have taken place during the transportation of question papers from courier companies to State Bank of India (SBI) or from SBI to Hazaribagh Oasis School. Examination Centre. According to the report, the boxes containing the question papers were sent by Blue Dart Courier Services to the SBI, raising concerns of possible collusion between the courier staff and the criminal network involved.
Further investigation revealed that the question papers, initially transported from Ranchi to Hazaribagh, were mishandled. Instead of delivering directly to the SBI branch, the courier company allegedly delivered them to its local office, raising suspicions of foul play. Principal of Oasis School and City Coordinator for NTA Dr. Ehsam-ul-Haq confirmed the receipt of nine sealed boxes at SBI on May 5, which were handed over to the Center Superintendent in the presence of the bank manager.
On July 23, the CBI made a significant breakthrough in the case, detailing a detailed plan to compromise the integrity of the examination. According to the CBI, Pankaj Kumar, the chief planner of the operation, managed to enter the strong room of Oasis School on the morning of the exam. By using the toolkit, Kumar breached the security measures that were in place. During the court deposition, the CBI revealed that one door was locked with the center superintendent’s key, but the back door was deliberately left open, allowing Kumar to enter at 8:02 am. He spent more than an hour in the control room, took photographs of the question papers, then sent them to other locations.
The CBI’s investigation has found discrepancies in the tick marks on the hard copies of the question papers, indicating that the images were sent to a counterpart first, and not directly to the solvers. The photographs were printed, and after the solvers completed the paper, hard copies were scanned and sent to several locations, including one in Hazaribagh and two in Patna.
How will the panel’s recommendations on transport measures prevent further paper leakage incidents?
The series of incidents generated widespread concern over the security of the examination process, leading to urgent calls for reform. The controversy over the CBI revelations has prompted the government to consider restructuring the NTA to prevent such incidents in the future. Proposals for tighter security protocols, including the use of technology-driven solutions such as secure transportation of question papers and computer-friendly testing, are currently under review. Here are five key points on how the panel’s suggestions for strict transportation measures for question papers will help prevent paper leakage incidents in the future:
Secure Courier Services: Use of authorized, secure courier services ensures question papers are transported with high level of responsibility. With proper tracking and documentation, this reduces the risk of tampering or unauthorized access during transit.
Sealed container and monitoring: By ordering that question paper containers are sealed by authorized officials and authenticated by NTA before dispatch, it ensures that no unauthorized person can access the documents. Continuous monitoring during transit and at test centers will ensure that the integrity of the material is maintained.
CCTV Surveillance and NTA Surveillance: Requiring CCTV surveillance at key points – such as handing over question papers at exam centers – will provide real-time monitoring of the process. NTA supervision ensures that the handling of question papers is conducted under strict protocols, making it difficult for anyone to breach the security.
Regular security audits: The panel’s recommendations for security measures updated regularly by in-house analysts will allow NTA to stay ahead of potential threats. Continuous audits of the shipping and handling process can identify weak points and correct them before they become safety risks.
Strict accountability and documentation: By implementing detailed documentation and chain-of-custody procedures for paper distribution and handling, NTA ensures that every step of the process is traceable. This high level of accountability makes it difficult for any person or group to tamper with a question paper without leaving a traceable trail behind.