Education Minister likely to make a statement on NTA issue in Parliament

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is likely to make a statement in Parliament during the session beginning Monday, on the issue of recent irregularities related to the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), according to government sources.

A seven-member committee of experts has already been set up by the government to examine the matter and make recommendations on the structure and functioning of the NTA in order to bring in reforms in the mechanisms of the examination process and improve data security protocols. The suggestions are expected to be implemented ahead of the next cycle of examinations, they said.

Stating that safeguarding students’ interests was a top priority for the government, a senior official said the Education Ministry took a series of actions after the irregularities were detected.

“The credibility of NTA was called into question with respect to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Under Graduate) primarily because of the manner in which grace marks were given to 1,563 candidates to compensate for the time they had lost during the examination, even though there was no such provision. Corrective steps have been taken, the NTA Director General has also been removed. To address the larger aspects, an expert committee has been constituted and it will give its recommendations in two months,” said the official.

Stressing that the alleged NEET (UG) paper leak was a localised issue, another official pointed out that about one lakh successful candidates were from across about 4,500 of the 4,750 examination centres. “As part of the punitive measure, 17 show-cause notices for debarring the students have been given in Bihar, 30 in Gujarat and 63 in different parts of the country for various reasons,” the official said.

“Demands were also being made for a CBI inquiry, which has been recommended. The CBI has registered a case and will conduct a comprehensive investigation by also taking over the cases in Gujarat (Godhra) and Bihar (Patna). It will also look into the role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination,” said the official.

The government has also notified the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and will soon come up with “stringent” rules to prevent unfair practices. “In January, a detailed guideline for coaching centres had been issued. Further steps may be taken to check malpractice, if any,” the official said.