Critical of NTA, panel says return to pen-paper tests | India News

NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on education has said National Testing Agency’s (NTA) handling of entrance examinations in 2024 “has not inspired much confidence” and recommended a shift towards pen-and-paper based tests along with a nationwide blacklist of firms involved in exam irregularities.On pen-and-paper based tests, the panel said there are several models that have been leak-proof for years, such as CBSE board exams & UPSC. The committee, headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, noted in its report that “in 2024 alone, of the 14 competitive examinations conducted by NTA, at least five faced major issues”. It recorded that “three examinations – UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-PG – had to be postponed, one examination viz. NEET-UG saw instances of paper leaks, and one examination CUET (UG/PG) saw its results postponed”.The committee also flagged that in JEE (Main) 2025 held in Jan, at least 12 questions had to be withdrawn due to errors in the final answer key. It observed that “such instances do not inspire confidence of the examinees in the system”. “The committee, therefore, recommends that NTA needs to quickly get their act together so that such instances, which otherwise are fully avoidable, do not occur in future,” the report said.On exam security, the panel weighed risks in both online and offline modes. It noted that pen-and-paper exams “offer more opportunities for paper leaks”, while computer-based tests (CBT) “can be hacked in a manner that is difficult to detect”. Between the two, it supported a stronger shift to traditional formats, stating that NTA should closely study and replicate the CBSE and UPSC models. For CBT, the panel recommended that such exams be hosted only in government-controlled centres and “never in private centres”.The report also flagged concerns over the continuing engagement of tainted vendors. It said several firms involved in paper setting, administration and correction have been blacklisted by organisations and state governments, yet continue to secure contracts elsewhere. “Such blacklisted firms must not be engaged for any entrance test by the NTA or state govts,” it said, recommending a nationwide list of blacklisted firms and associated individuals to prevent future contracts.Highlighting NTA’s finances, the panel noted that the agency “collected an estimated Rs 3,512.9 crore while it has spent Rs 3,064.7 crore on the conduct of exams, thereby creating a surplus of Rs 448 crores in the last six years”. It recommended that this corpus be used to build NTA’s internal capability or to strengthen regulatory and monitoring systems for vendors.The panel also flagged growing dependence on private coaching, urging tighter alignment of entrance examinations with school curricula and recommending a task force to explore regulatory oversight of coaching sector.