In the eye of storm: Experts question NTA's readiness following NEET, NET fiasco

Students protest amid controversy over this year's NEET-UG exam

Amid the ongoing controversy around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate (UG) examination 2024, experts from the education and healthcare industry are raising questions on the functioning of the body responsible for conducting the examination, the National Testing Agency (NTA).

In his address to the media about the escalating controversy, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said that the recent paper leaks are an "institutional failure" of the NTA. He announced that the ministry will constitute a high-level committee to look into various aspects of the autonomous agency.

NTA was established in 2017 during the first term of the Modi government to conduct efficient, transparent and standardised exams for higher education institutions in the country.

On its official website, NTA said it will have a team of education administrators, experts, researchers and assessment developers who believe that scientifically designed and properly delivered assessments can improve teaching learning processes in Indian classrooms.

However, experts have raised questions over the appointments.

"Specific details on the appointment process to the board are not publicly available, and hence there have been questions on the appointment of experts or board members. Also, based on earlier instances, it seems there is no proper oversight by University Grants Commission or Education Ministry," Dr Sanjay Sharma, an alumnus of AIIMS and Secretary of Indian Podiatry Association, Karnataka Chapter, told Moneycontrol.

Even before the fiasco involving this year's NEET-UG and UGC NET examination, the NTA has faced criticism on at least a couple of occasions for its handling and assessment of major entrance exams.

In 2020, an 18-year-old aspiring doctor from Madhya Pradesh allegedly took her own life after seeing her NEET result that significantly differed from her expectations.

Vidhi Suryavanshi, from Chhindwara district, reportedly saw a score much lower than anticipated when she checked her results. However, upon reviewing the OMR sheet, it came to light that her actual score was significantly higher.

During the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2024 session 1 results, various students contested a significant discrepancy between their predicted scores and percentiles.

The NTA released the results on its official website on February 13, following the publication of the final answer key on February 12. Many students voiced concerns about the apparent mismatch between their exam marks and the resulting percentiles.

Similarly, in 2022, the agency was criticised for its mismanagement of the JEE Main 2022. Students said that technical glitches during the exam impacted their performance.

Additionally, there were issues with the answer key and response sheets, raising doubts about the accuracy of the examination.

Industry experts say NTA has been marred by lack of technical infrastructure to manage examinations at a large scale.

"NEET conflicts and the releasing of UGC NET results demonstrate that NTA's operational inefficiencies are significant. They come about because of logistic failures, incoherent communication, and inadequate contingency plans," Vedant Hamirwasia, Director of Oda Class, told Moneycontrol.

Hamirwasia said that despite several instances of alleged frauds, NTA's communication delays results in panic among students and parents.

Even before the dust settled on the NEET-UG row, the NTA on Wednesday cancelled the UGC-NET exam just one day after it took place, saying that the "integrity of the examination has been compromised." It also ordered a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the matter.

In a departure from earlier practice, the NET exam was conducted in pen and paper mode this time on a single day. However, on June 19, 2024, the UGC got warnings from cybersecurity experts over widespread cheating during the exam.

Separately, in Bihar, authorities have arrested four individuals in connection with the NEET question paper leak scandal. The arrested parties include three aspiring students-Anurag Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand-and Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer at the Danapur municipal council. These arrests followed confessions from the suspects, who admitted to acquiring and memorising the leaked question paper, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the NEET-UG 2024 examination.

"NTA and the Ministry of Education have sought information from Bihar police authorities concerning the alleged paper leak matter. NTA will look into the matter and if and where were the loopholes," an NTA official told Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity.

Sharma, who is also co-founder of Footsecure, said that in the long run, NTA should look at organisations conducting other competitive exams like GRE, GMAT and CAT which have not gotten into controversies since decades.

He added that a stringent vetting process should be in place to ensure that people with integrity are at the helm of affairs for an organisation that has the power to dictate the future of millions of employable youth.