Following the NEET-UG paper leak, the NTA has appointed four senior officers to its leadership. The agency is also hiring a CTO, CFO, and GM-HR and will shift NEET-UG to a computer-based test (CBT) format from next year to ensure transparency.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), in pursuance of the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Committee constituted by the Central government for reforming the conduct of examinations, has undertaken a series of measures over the past few weeks to strengthen its leadership team, institutional capacity and oversight mechanisms, according to an official statement by the agency.
To strengthen the senior leadership of NTA with experienced administrators from the Government, the following four officers have been posted to the Agency over the past few days. These include 2 Joint Secretary-level officers and 2 Director-level officers. The Joint Secretary-level officers will be designated as Additional Director Generals as per the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee.
"These measures are aimed at enhancing the integrity, transparency and operational excellence of the high-stakes examinations conducted by the Agency, which collectively serve over 1 crore candidates each year," according to a release from NTA.
Response to NEET-UG Controversy
This move comes after NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3, was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 following allegations of a coordinated paper leak. It erupted into a political row as opposition leaders lambasted the Centre, claiming that paper leaks are recurring and calling for accountability.
"The Government recognises the deep concern that recent events have caused among aspirants, their families and the educational community at large. The measures taken are part of a comprehensive and continuing programme of structural, technological and human-resource rebuilding the integrity architecture of the examination ecosystem on stronger foundations," the statement read.
Corrective Measures and Re-Examination
Notably, the re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21. As a corrective measure, the Union Education Minister had earlier announced that NEET-UG will be conducted in computer-based test (CBT) mode from next year.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the NTA will conduct the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21 and said the exam will shift to Computer- Based Test (CBT) mode from next year as part of reforms aimed at ensuring transparency. Pradhan assured the students that they would not let malpractice happen again in the examination and said the government's topmost priority was the future of students. The Education Minister admitted that questions had gone out under the guise of "guess papers".
The release from NTA stated that the Government recognises the deep concern that recent events have caused among aspirants, their families and the educational community at large. The measures taken are part of a comprehensive and continuing programme of reform -- structural, technological and human-resource -- to rebuild the integrity architecture of the examination ecosystem on stronger foundations.
Specialist Leadership Recruitment
According to NTA, these postings substantially enhance the senior bandwidth available to the agency, with experienced officers bringing strong administrative backgrounds drawn from the Central services and inter-Ministry experience. Working alongside the existing team, they will support the discharge of NTA's expanded mandate.
"NTA has, simultaneously, published advertisements for the engagement of three specialist leadership positions -- Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Finance Officer (CFO), and General Manager - Human Resources (GM-HR) -- to bring in domain expertise of the highest order in technology, finance and human resources. These positions will play a pivotal role in modernising the Agency and embedding best-in-class systems across its operations," the release noted.
Applications for these three positions are invited within fifteen (15) days from the date of publication of the advertisements on the NTA website. The selection shall be made by a duly constituted Selection Committee, on the basis of qualifications, experience and demonstrated capability. The advertisements emphasise the requirement of a strong public-service orientation, experience of working with Government systems, and demonstrated capability of leading large, mission-critical institutions.
Broader Institutional Reform Programme
The strengthening of the leadership team is part of a broader institutional reform programme being implemented by NTA, in line with the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Committee and the directions of the Ministry of Education. The programme spans examination integrity, technology modernisation -- deployment of AI and analytics-based controls, biometric authentication, secure-by-design infrastructure and continuous monitoring, governance and oversight, human resources, stakeholder engagement, candidate-facing transparency, grievance redressal, and proactive communication.
NTA shall continue to communicate further measures as they are implemented, as per the release.
The Ministry of Education, the Department of Higher Education and the Governing Body of NTA are providing close support and oversight to the reform programme. (ANI)
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