NEET: Over 50k suggestions received- Nilekani-led panel gets extension to submit exam reforms report

New Delhi: The Centre has extended the tenure of the Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered task force on examination reforms till January 2027, giving the panel additional time to complete its consultations and submit its recommendations.

The panel's tenure was till October 2027.

Constituted in July following the controversy over the NEET paper leak and subsequent student protests, the six-member task force was set up on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suggest measures to make the country's examination system more secure and prevent question paper leaks.

The task force reportedly received over 50,000 suggestions from students, parents, teachers, academic institutions, subject matter experts, industry organisations and exam-conducting bodies.

"The Centre has extended the tenure of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force working on exam reforms till January 2027," sources informed PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of the high-powered six-member committee a day after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as the Union education minister following massive student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 25.

"The stakeholder consultations have been going on. The government has also submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court listing the progress made by the panel so far. The panel has now been granted time till January 2027 to submit its report," the source told PTI

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The panel has also consulted former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, who headed a panel set up by the Centre following the 2024 NEET paper leak.

The Radhakrishnan Committee, which was set up in June 2024, submitted its recommendations in October that year. The Centre then set up another panel called the High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC), also headed by Radhakrishnan, to monitor implementation of the recommendations.

The Ministry of Education was in the process of implementing those suggestions when another paper leak for the medical entrance NEET this year blew up into a huge controversy, leading to widespread protests and ultimately, Pradhan's resignation.

Besides Nilekani, other members of the task force are former chairman of ISRO S Somanath, former director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, IIT Chennai Director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

Following the paper leak, the Centre announced that NEET will be conducted as a Computer Based Test (CBT) from next year.

The Radhakrishnan Committee had also advised that the medical entrance exam should be conducted in phases and a computer-based or hybrid mode should be brought in instead of relying entirely on a pen-and-paper exam.

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