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Parliamentary Panel Urges NTA Reforms to Strengthen Exam Security
A parliamentary committee has suggested changes to make exams run by the National Testing Agency safer.
It wants the agency to build a large collection of questions and choose the final questions close to exam day.
Experts should be carefully checked and kept away from others until the exam is over.
The committee supports moving exams, including NEET-UG, to computers in stages.
It says the government should create secure computer-testing centres across the country, including in smaller and rural areas.
Until computer testing is ready everywhere, exam questions could be sent securely and printed at the test centre.
The committee also wants the agency to hire permanent specialist staff.
Students who arrive late for genuine reasons could take the test for the time remaining, but would not get extra time.
A parliamentary committee recommended a large, diverse, continuously updated question bank to reduce paper-leak risks.
It said final papers should be drawn digitally from the bank and set close to exam day, with vetted experts kept sequestered until the exam ends.
The panel urged the National Testing Agency to recruit permanent specialist staff and screen experts for integrity and conflicts of interest.
It supported a phased shift to computer-based testing, including NEET-UG, backed by 1,000 secure government-run centres and at least one centre in each district.
The report also proposed a hybrid testing option during the transition and allowing genuinely late candidates to take the remaining exam time without extra time.
- Who
- The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, led by Mukul Wasnik, made recommendations for the National Testing Agency.
- What
- The committee proposed changes to question-setting, staffing, examination centres and the transition to computer-based testing.
- Where
- The report concerns the National Testing Agency's examinations in India.
- When
- The committee presented its 382nd report on October 9; the year is not specified.
- Why
- The committee said the reforms could reduce paper-leak risks, strengthen examination security and rebuild public trust.
Key facts
- Report
- 382nd report, “Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency”
- Presented
- To the Rajya Sabha Chairman on October 9; the year is not specified
- Question bank
- Recommended to be large, diverse and continuously updated
- CBT centres
- The committee called for 1,000 secure government-owned centres
- District access
- At least one examination centre in each district was recommended
- IT labs
- The report suggested mid-sized labs with 100–200 nodes in schools and colleges
- Late arrivals
- Candidates with genuine reasons could sit the remaining exam time, without extra time
- Transition option
- A hybrid approach could deliver encrypted questions to centres for printing until full CBT readiness
Quotes
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports
Parliamentary committee that issued the report on reforms and strengthening of the NTA.
“The Committee, therefore, is of the view that the NTA should invest in building a large, diverse and continuously updated question bank, which can be drawn on to set papers without the advance knowledge of the question-setters”
freepressjournal.in
“Accordingly, the final question papers should be set very close to the examination, with questions drawn from the question bank using digital tools and only vetted by experts”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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