NTA Restructured: Focus Shifts to Higher Education Entrance Tests

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will terminate recruitment exams from 2025, emphasizing only higher education entrance tests, as per Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. This decision follows examination reforms recommended after numerous test leaks. A committee supports restructuring the NTA with new posts and 10 verticals, ensuring enhanced test security.

In a significant reform, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will cease conducting recruitment exams from 2025, focusing solely on higher education entrance tests, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced. This restructuring comes on the heels of recommendations by a high-level panel formed after multiple exam leaks.

To accommodate its new focus, the NTA will undergo a structural overhaul. The introduction of new positions, suggested by the committee headed by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan, underscores an emphasis on test security and efficiency. The agency will be restructured into 10 distinct verticals, ensuring the implementation of advanced test security measures and surveillance.

The panel's recommendations aim to resolve previous integrity issues, such as those plaguing the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams. The proposed initiatives include a nationwide network of testing centers to facilitate seamless examinations and the adoption of a DIGI-EXAM system to authenticate candidates. The intention is to enhance the transparency and reliability of the testing process.

(With inputs from agencies.)