NTA undertakes system overhaul for error-free exams in future, axes over 50 staff

New
Delhi,
Aug
17
(PTI):
U de
fi e
ove
the
e-test
of
th ee
UGC-NET
pape s
that
we e
iddled
with
seve al
e o s,
the
Natio al
Testi g
Age cy
(NTA)
we t
i to
damage
co t ol
mode
o
Mo day
by
sacki g
mo e
people,
taki g
the
total
umbe
of
axed
staff
membe s
to
50,
a d
opi g
i
p ofessio als
fo
key
leade ship
positio s
as
pa t
of
its
measu es
to
efo m
the
exami atio
system.

The
developme t
came
as
the
NTA
faced
e ewed
flak
f om
oppositio
pa ties
a d
seve al
stude t
g oups
who
held
p otests
he e
followi g
the
Su day
ight
a ou ceme t
of
the
e-test,
dema di g
that
the
NTA
be
sc apped
as
its
” epeated
lapses”
have
put
stude ts’
academic
a d
ca ee
pla s
at
isk.

NTA
sou ces,
howeve ,
asse ted
that
it
had
acted
i
the
i te est
of
stude ts
a d
said
i te al
p ocesses
a d
p otocols
a e
bei g
eviewed
to
e su e
that
all
exams
a e
fai
a d
e o -f ee
i
the
futu e.

The
age cy
p oactively
looked
i to
the
complai ts
a d
decided
to
co duct
e-tests,
with
all
co ective
measu es
bei g
take
i
the
ove all
i te est
of
ca didates
a d
to
st e gthe
the
fou datio
of
a
mo e
accou table
exami atio
system,
sou ces
said.

Educatio
Mi iste
P alhad
Joshi,
who
took
cha ge
afte
Dha me d a
P adha
was
fo ced
to
esig
followi g
widesp ead
stude t
p otests
ove
a
pape
leak
i
the
NEET-UG
exam,
held
a
meeti g
with
the
sec eta y
i
the
Depa tme t
of
Highe
Educatio ,
the
NTA
di ecto
ge e al
a d
othe
se io
officials.

He
was
app ised
of
the
steps
take
by
the
age cy
i
the
wake
of
ece t
issues
a d
efo mi g
the
ove all
exam
system,
the
mi ist y
said.

While
the
mi ist y
had
ea lie
me tio ed
i
a
X
post
that
Joshi
was
app ised
that
“mo e
tha
50
staff
have
bee
emoved
f om
NTA”,
a
official
late
cla ified
that
the
umbe
i cluded
47
emovals
made
ea lie .

I
a
majo
c ackdow
i
the
NEET
pape
leak
co t ove sy,
the
Natio al
Testi g
Age cy
te mi ated
47
officials
i
July.

Te
ew
p ofessio al
leade ship
positio s,
i cludi g
chief
tech ology
office ,
chief
fi a ce
office ,
CISO,
GM
(test
secu ity)
a d
GM
(R
a d
D
a d
psychomet ics),
have
bee
adve tised
a d
a e
bei g
o boa ded,
the
mi ist y
said.

Domai
specialists
a e
also
bei g
b ought
i
f om
the
p ivate
secto
fo
cybe secu ity,
psychomet ics,
questio
pape
desig
a d
othe
specialised
a eas,
it
said.

The
mi iste
di ected
that
st ict
complia ce
be
e su ed
with
the
established
exam
p otocols
a d
that
a
complete
ove haul
of
the
co fide tial
ope atio s
(CONOPS)
a chitectu e,
secluded
ooms,
ai -gapped
systems,
a d
device
deposit
p otocols
be
impleme ted
o
a
wa
footi g,
the
mi ist y
said.

The
NTA
has
bee
di ected
to
co duct
a
tho ough
audit
of
all
exam
p ocesses
a d
submit
a
epo t
o
the
co ective
actio s
take ,
the
mi ist y
said.

Joshi
late
posted
o
X
that
the
discussio
focused
o
st e gthe i g
the
educatio
ecosystem
th ough
la ge
efo ms,
with
emphasis
o
d ivi g
t a sfo mative
cha ges
a d
st e gthe i g
the
fou datio s
of
I dia’s
educatio
system.

“We
also
delibe ated
o
c itical
issues
elati g
to
school
a d
highe
educatio ,
with
a
focus
o
add essi g
key
challe ges
a d
e su i g
a
mo e
obust,
espo sive
a d
futu e- eady
educatio
system,”
he
said.

Co g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi
ta geted
the
Modi
gove me t
a d
dema ded
that
the
NTA’s
leade ship
be
held
accou table.

I
a
post
o
X,
he
alleged
that
“this
is
o
lo ge
a
educatio
system.
It
is
a
ext actio
machi e”.

He
said
P adha ‘s
esig atio
was
the
fi st
step,
but
ot
the
last.
“NTA’s
leade ship
must
be
held
accou table
too,”
he
dema ded.

Seve al
stude t
o ga isatio s
o
Mo day
held
p otests
i
Delhi
a d
a ou ced
atio wide
demo st atio s
agai st
the
NTA’s
decisio
to
e-co duct
the
UGC-NET
exami atio s.

These
i cluded
the
Natio al
Stude ts
U io
of
I dia
(NSUI),
Stude ts’
Fede atio
of
I dia
(SFI),
All
I dia
Stude ts’
Associatio
(AISA)
a d
K a tika i
Yuva
Sa gatha
(KYS).

Eve
the
Akhil
Bha atiya
Vidya thi
Pa ishad
(ABVP),
the
stude t
wi g
of
the
RSS,
exp essed
se ious
co ce
ove
the
issue,
with
its
atio al
ge e al
sec eta y
Vi e d a
Si gh
Sola ki
sayi g
that
stude ts’
futu e
ca ot
be
comp omised
a d
the
NTA
must
be
held
accou table.

Seve al
othe
Co g ess
leade s
also
slammed
the
gove me t,
sayi g
stude ts
we e
payi g
the
p ice
fo
the
NTA’s
i efficie cy
a d
that
the
pa ty
will
ot
stop
u til
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a
Modi
a swe s
fo
stude ts’
yea s
bei g
“stole “.

I
a
post
o
X,
the
Aam
Aadmi
Pa ty
(AAP)
said
the
issue
was
ot
a
“mi o
e o ”
but
a
failu e
that
was
costi g
stude ts
thei
time,
mo ey,
me tal
peace
a d
oppo tu ities.

As
pe
the
a ou ceme t,
the
e-test
fo
E glish
a d
Comme ce
pape s
will
be
held
o
Septembe
9,
while
the
exam
fo
Sociology
will
be
co ducted
o
Septembe
10.

The
NTA
co ducted
the
UGC-NET
Ju e
2026
f om
Ju e
22
to
30
ac oss
87
subjects
fo
the
awa d
of
ju io
esea ch
fellowship,
eligibility
fo
assista t
p ofesso s,
a d
admissio
to
PhD
p og ammes.

“The
task
of
a
exami atio -co ducti g
age cy
is
ot
o ly
to
co duct
e o -f ee
exami atio s,
but
also
to
act
p omptly
a d
ho estly
whe eve
a
a omaly
is
fou d,”
a
sou ce
said.

The
NTA
has
take
the
espo sibility
of
ack owledgi g
that
somethi g
had
go e
w o g
i
these
pape s
a d
fo
taki g
co ective
actio ,
at
the
cost
to
itself,
athe
tha
pape i g
ove
the
p oblem,
the
sou ce
added.

“The
willi g ess
to
ide tify
p oblems
p oactively,
to
admit
them,
a d
to
act,
eve
whe e
actio
is
difficult,
is
itself
the
fou datio
of
a
mo e
accou table
exami atio
system.
A
age cy
that
co ducts
exami atio s
at
this
scale
will
occasio ally
e cou te
p oblems;
what
defi es
its
c edibility
is
that
it
fi ds
them,
ow s
them,
a d
co ects
them
i
the
i te est
of
ca didates,”
the
sou ce
said.

The
NTA
said
it
eceived
seve al
complai ts
about
multiple
e o s
i
th ee
pape s,
followi g
which
it
fo med
a
committee
to
look
i to
the
lapses.

“The
committee
ide tified
the
a omalies
i
the
th ee
subjects
a d
ecomme ded
that,
i
the
i te est
of
holdi g
a
fai
a d
e o -f ee
exami atio ,
these
th ee
pape s
should
be
e-co ducted.
It
was
ecomme ded
that
pape s
ca yi g
such
defects
did
ot
meet
the
sta da ds
of
fai ess
a d
e o -f ee
exami atio ,”
the
NTA
said.
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