NTA Under Scanner After Entrance Exams Compromised Irregularities in NEET-UG exam have raised the question about the credibility of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The seven-member panel constituted by the central government to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency after the NEET-UG exam was compromised will first reach out to students and parents to know their concerns and take suggestions on how to create a robust and tamper-proof system for entrance examinations in the country, the panel's chairperson K Radhakrishnan said.

Speaking to the media, Dr Radhakrishnan, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman said that the first priority of the panel would be meeting students and parents to understand their difficulties. "Our top priority is to ensure a transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations," he said.

The controversy began with the allegations emerging around the NEET after the results were announced, with students and parents claiming discrepancies in the exam result and allegations of paper leak.

There were several issues including grace marks given to students, it was discovered after 67 students topped the exam, complaint from Rajasthan centre of receiving wrong question paper, damaged OMR sheets, and delay in paper distribution. In Patna, a case was filed over a suspected paper leak, leading to the arrest of 13 individuals involved in a cheating racket, including four test-takers.

Days after the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET-UG exam was compromised, another exam, CSIR-UGC-NET postponed. The incidents have raised the question about the credibility of the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts all these exams.

The agency had announced that the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) examination scheduled for June 25 to June 27, 2024, was postponed.

Previously, the Education Ministry cancelled the UGC-NET, held on June 18, to ensure transparency and integrity. The ministry received inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit indicating potential compromise of the exam's integrity. The matter is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Now, according to report, the government is looking into the implementation of every critical reform in the NTA before the next cycle in 2025. NTA will also see whether NEET can be held multiple times or just once a year, apart from chalking out best practices.

Meanwhile, the centre has replaced the NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh with retired Indian Administration Service (IAS) officer Pradeep Singh Kharola, a move sought to save the NTA's credibility.