Nearly a year after the NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate) paper leak controversy rocked India’s education sector, the National Testing Agency (NTA) — the body responsible for conducting entrance examinations — is yet to complete senior-level recruitments aimed at strengthening its operations.
As highlighted by The Hindu, following the scandal in May 2024, which exposed significant lapses in the security and integrity of NEET-UG, the Ministry of Education created 16 new positions within the NTA. These included eight Director-level and eight Joint Director-level posts to be filled through deputation under the Central Staffing Scheme. However, only three Joint Directors have been appointed so far.
The NTA, which has overseen 250 examinations for 5.5 crore candidates since its inception in 2018, came under scrutiny last year when a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe uncovered a large-scale paper leak racket. By November 2024, the CBI had filed five chargesheets against 45 accused individuals, including impersonators and beneficiaries of the leaked papers, as noted by The Hindu.
In response, a high-level expert committee headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Kanpur, Dr K Radhakrishnan, submitted its recommendations in October 2024, calling for institutional reforms, stronger state linkages, and better collaboration with test-indenting agencies. But progress remains slow.
Additionally, 25 employees are currently on deputation at the NTA, alongside 43 contractual staff. Leadership has also seen changes, with IAS officer Subodh Kumar Singh being replaced by senior bureaucrat Pradeep Singh Kharola.
Meanwhile, as reported by Times of India, Gujarat student Kulsum Kothi, whose result was withheld on the basis of CBI summons issued to her and her father, had her name omitted from the chargesheet; yet the NTA did not declare her result despite repeated requests until after court intervention.
