7 Members From Centre To Hold High Level Meeting On NTA’s Functioning

The Ministry of Education earlier on Saturday announced the formation of a high-level expert committee to make recommendations on changes to the examination process mechanism, enhancements to data security protocols, and the operation of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The sources at the Ministry of Education stated that the committee, which consists of seven members and was established to oversee transparency and investigate the NTA’s operations, is scheduled to meet on Monday.

Within the next two months, the ministry will receive the report from the seven-member committee, which is chaired by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, the former chairman of ISRO.

“To ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts to make recommendations on reform in the mechanism of examination process improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of National Testing Agency,” the ministry stated.

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The NTA, which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday registered a criminal case for irregularities in the exam and formed special teams to probe the matter.

As per the agency’s FIR, certain “isolated incidents” occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, which was held on May 5, 2024. Special teams have been formed by the CBI to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, NTA claimed that its website and all its web portals are fully secure. The NTA further dismissed the allegations of the portals being compromised, calling them “wrong and misleading.”