Overview
The government has set up a high‑level NTA task force to implement the recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee. The panel’s blueprint, stalled for 18 months, calls for a statutory, UPSC‑like agency, new verticals, and a digital exam ecosystem.
Key Developments
- Creation of a statutory NTA headed by a Director General and two Additional Directors General.
- Ten functional verticals covering cybersecurity, psychometrics, forensics and logistics.
- Establishment of about a thousand standardized testing centres across the country.
- Launch of the Digi‑Exam biometric framework integrating Aadhaar, facial recognition and continuous surveillance.
- Hiring drive for staff, though recruitment cycles of 6‑12 months and private‑sector pay gaps remain challenges.
- Mandate to overhaul the entire examination system, including NEET, JEE Advanced, and the CBSE marking fiasco.
Important Facts
The panel recommends a shift to continuous, computer‑adaptive testing, similar to the GRE in the United States, moving away from a single high‑stakes sitting. It also notes that agencies like the National Medical Commission and the IITs are currently treated as passive clients in the exam cycle. The task force’s academic representation is limited to the director of IIT Madras, with no broader involvement of career educators or a