Parliamentary committee members call for statutory status for National Testing Agency

MEmbers of Parliament on wed proposed gift the subject Testing federal agency (NTA) statutory position through an Act of Parliament, saying the agency needs more powers, permanent staff and greater autonomy to conduct national entrance exams independently, people aware of the development said.The suggestion was made during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. NTA and education ministry officials briefed MPs on the conduct of the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination and the progress on reforms recommended by the high-level committee headed by former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan.According to people aware of the discussions, Radhakrishnan also supported the proposal, while ministry and NTA officials told MPs the suggestion would be considered.“Members said conducting nationwide entrance examinations is almost as complex as conducting an election. NTA is currently only a society and does not have the statutory powers, permanent manpower or accountability such an institution should have. They suggested it should be converted into a statutory body, like the UGC or AICTE, through legislation,” one of the people cited above said.The proposal followed a presentation by agency officials on the extensive arrangements put in place for the NEET-UG re-examination, held on June 21 after allegations of a question paper leak in the original May 3 test.Officials told MPs that the Cabinet secretary, home secretary and state chief secretaries coordinated preparations across ministries and states. Indian Air Force aircraft were used to transport question papers during the monsoon, and access to the Telegram messaging platform was blocked before the exam to prevent the circulation of leaked papers.While MPs appreciated what officials described as a “whole-of-government approach”, they questioned whether such support would be available every year.“The appreciation was accompanied by concern. Members asked whether such an elaborate security arrangement would be available every year and whether NTA, in its current form, has the capacity to manage it on its own,” another person aware of the meeting said.The committee also asked the agency to speed up implementation of the Radhakrishnan committee’s recommendations. Several MPs urged the NTA to introduce an upper age limit and cap the number of attempts for NEET-UG.Committee chairperson Mukul Wasnik said after the meeting: “The meeting was very good and informative. The input we received during the course of our deliberations will help the committee reach a conclusion… You will have to wait for our report.”