India's largest examination body, the National Testing Agency (NTA), is undergoing a major internal shake-up. The Education Ministry said on Monday that more than 50 employees have already been removed from the agency, and the process of appointing professional experts to key posts is now underway. The development comes at a time when the NTA has had to order a re-examination for three subjects of the UGC-NET exam after multiple errors were found in their question papers.
What the Education Ministry's meeting covered
Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi held an important meeting on Monday with the Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, the Director of the NTA and other senior officials. The Education Ministry shared details of the meeting in a post on the social media platform X. According to the ministry, the minister was briefed in detail on recent developments and the steps the NTA has taken so far to reform the entire examination system. He was also informed that more than 50 employees have been removed from the agency.
Hiring opens for 10 new professional posts
According to the Education Ministry, the NTA has now advertised a total of 10 new professional posts. These include a Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), General Manager (Exam Security) and General Manager (R&D and Psychometrics), among other important positions, and the recruitment process for these roles is currently underway. Notably, the NTA had earlier advertised for 4 new General Managers and 16 Young Professionals, showing that the agency's internal structure has been under continuous change over the past several weeks.
Private-sector specialists being brought in
The Education Ministry also said that subject specialists from the private sector are being inducted into the NTA for areas such as cyber security, psychometrics, question paper preparation and other specialised fields. The intent is to ensure that every technical and sensitive aspect of the examination process is handled by experienced and trained experts, reducing the scope for incidents such as paper leaks or errors in the future.
Strict orders on exam protocols
During the meeting, Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi directed officials to ensure strict compliance with existing exam protocols. He instructed that sweeping changes to the confidential operations (ConOps) framework, separate examination rooms, air-gapped systems and the process for depositing equipment be implemented on a war footing. The NTA has also been directed to conduct a thorough audit of all its examination processes and submit a report on the corrective measures taken.
The UGC-NET backdrop
This major overhaul at the NTA comes against the backdrop of the UGC-NET controversy, where multiple errors found in the question papers of three subjects forced the agency to order a re-examination for those subjects. The episode raised questions over the NTA's functioning, and the process of reform within the agency has since gathered pace.
