Row over NEET-UG rages on: Govt sets up 7-member panel to reform exams, review NTA

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 22

The Ministry of Education on Saturday constituted a high-level committee of experts headed by former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA). The development came amid the ongoing row over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET.

The seven-member committee will make recommendations on major reforms in the examination process, improvement in data security protocols and structure and functioning of the NTA. It will submit its report to the ministry within two months.

The ministry, in a statement, said the committee would analyse the end-to-end examination process and suggest measures to improve the efficiency of the system.

Beside strengthening the existing security protocols related to paper-setting, the committee would also review the standard operating procedures of the NTA and suggest measures to strengthen these.

"The committee will assess the grievance redressal mechanism of the NTA and identify areas of improvement and make recommendations for enhancing its efficiency," the statement read.

Dr Randeep Guleria, former AIIMS Director; Prof BJ Rao, Vice Chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad; K Ramamurthy, Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras; Pankaj Bansal, co-founder, People Strong, and board member, Karmayogi Bharat; and Prof Aditya Mittal, Dean, Student Affairs, IIT Delhi, are the members of the committee, while Govind Jaiswal, joint secretary, Ministry of Education, is the member secretary.

While medical NEET is under scanner over several irregularities, including alleged leaks, the UGC-NET was cancelled a day after it was conducted as the ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier announced the constitution of the committee to reform NTA. “It is our commitment to ensure transparent, tamper-free and zero-error examinations. The setting up of a high-level committee of experts is the first of a series of steps to improve efficiency of the examination process, put an end to all possible malpractices, strengthen data security protocols and overhaul and reform the NTA,” he had said.

Will focus on overhauling NTA

• Panel to suggest reforms in exam process, improvement in data security protocols and functioning of NTA
• Will submit report within two months; also analyse end-to-end examination process, suggest measures to improve efficiency of system
• Panel to also review standard operating procedures of NTA, suggest measures to strengthen these

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