NTA NEET exam reforms - Centre to implement expert panel's recommendations
New Delhi: After the High-Level Committee of Experts (HLCE), which was set up earlier last year to suggest reforms in the examination processes conducted by the National Testing Agency, has recommended reformation of the National Common Entrance Testing including strengthening of NTA, the Centre has recently told the Supreme Court that it would be implementing all the corrective measures suggested by its seven-member expert panel on exam reforms after reviewing the National Testing Agency's functioning in holding NEET UG.
As per PTI report, on Thursday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, apprised a bench comprising justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra that the Centre-appointed committee has filed its report and the government will be implementing all the recommendations.
“We are going to implement all the recommendations and it (matter) can be listed after six months,” the law officer said.
“The matter is adjourned for three months. List this special leave petition in the month of April,” the bench said.
The entire report has not been placed on the records as it also contained some details regarding issues like printing of questions etc.
The top court on August 2, last year refused to annul the controversy-ridden NEET-UG of 2024, saying there was no sufficient material on record at present to indicate a systemic leak or malpractice compromising the integrity of the examination.
It had also expanded the remit of the seven-member expert panel, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Radhakrishnan, to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and recommend exam reforms to make the NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate), transparent and free from malpractices.
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On October 21 last year, the top court had extended the time granted to the Centre-appointed seven-member expert panel to file its report on exam reforms.
The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admission in undergraduate medical programs.
While expanding the scope of the expert panel, the top court had flagged multiple lapses on the part of NTA like the security breach at an examination centre in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh where the rear door of the strongroom was opened and unauthorised people were permitted to access question papers, transportation of question papers by e-rickshaws and distribution of wrong set of question papers among the candidates.
Besides Radhakrishnan, other members of the expert committee are Randeep Guleria, B J Rao, Ramamurthy K, Pankaj Bansal, Aditya Mittal and Govind Jaiswal.
The bench said the remit of the committee, in addition to the tasks that it has been entrusted with by the Union government and the NTA, shall encompass examination security and administration, data security and technological enhancements.
Its responsibilities will also include policy and stakeholder engagement, collaboration and international cooperation, and recommendations for providing mental health support to students and training of NTA staff, it said.
Over 23 lakh students took up the NEET-UG in 2024 for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses.
In November last year, the top court dismissed a petition seeking review of the August 2 verdict by which it had refused to allow a fresh NEET-UG 2024 examination.
Union Education Ministry had set up the HLCE on 22.06.2024 to bring in reforms in mechanism of the examination process, improvement in Data Security protocols, and Structure and functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Consequently, the remit of the Committee was further expanded by the Supreme Court, which had earlier issued several directions to the Expert Committee on examination security and administration, data security and technological enhancements, policy and stakeholder engagement, collaboration and international cooperation, support, and training, etc.
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In December, Responding to Dr. Pandey's RTI application, the Union Education Ministry informed that the Committee submitted its report to the Ministry on 21.10.2024.
"The Committee has recommended Reformation of National Common Entrance Testing including strengthening of NTA, institutional linkage with States, involvement of Test Indenting Agencies as Knowledge and Examinations partner etc. The Committee has also recommended constitution of a High-Powered Steering Committee to monitor the implementation of recommendations of HLCE on NTA. The Ministry vide Office Order dated 14.11.2024 has constituted the High-Powered Steering Committee accordingly," informed the Union Ministry.
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