JEE, NEET Exam Body Asked by House Panel to Upgrade Testing Process and Ensure Timely Results

An Education Parliamentary Standing Committee has indicated a preference for traditional pen-and-paper tests as opposed to modern computer-based testing. One of the reasons they cited was that there have been some leak-proof tests done for years.

The committee said that the situation with the National Testing Agency (NTA) is not very bright. They consider that the NTA has to do a lot of work to uplift its standards and should also spend its six-year Rs. 448 crore surplus of the last six years on the same. The report submitted to the Parliament on Monday contained these statements.

The report covered the review of the various autonomous bodies and institutions like the NTA, NAAC, Draft UGC Regulations, ICHR, ICPR, ICSSR, IIAS (Shimla), and the Auroville Foundation under the Department of Higher Education.

The committee, under the leadership of Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh observed that NTA has been very slow in announcing the results of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). The report pointed out that this lag is a source of great concern as it not only delays the admission process but also postpones the start of the new academic year. Thus, the student's whole schedule is put under heavy pressure. The Committee insists that the NTA be not only on time in conducting tests but also in releasing the results.

The panel had in 2024 examined 14 different competitive examinations conducted by NTA and discovered that in at least five cases, there were major issues. Among these, the UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, and NEET-PG were delayed, paper leaks happened for NEET-UG, and the CUET results were also delayed.

The committee in its report also said that in the JEE Main test of January 2025, they had to remove no less than 12 questions due to errors in the final answer key. It explained that these types of problems lead students to lose confidence in the system. Hence, the committee recommends that the NTA be quick in upgrading to avoid such unfortunate instances repeatedly.

Moreover, the report displays a comprehensible six years' account of the NTA, illustrating that it has been able to collect Rs. 3,512.98 crore and the expenditure amounted to Rs. 3,064.77 crore; thus, the agency maintains a surplus of Rs. 448 crore. The panel advocated investing these funds in the self-testing facilities for NTA or in enhancing the regulation and checking systems of its service providers.

The committee examined the 2025 Draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations. The draft, released for public consultation in January, faced opposition because it seemed to grant the chancellors/visitors (generally the Governor in public universities) greater authority in the appointment of vice-chancellors.

According to the UGC, it received 15,066 comments on the draft, among these were inputs from 10 state governments, 92 organisations, 52 universities/colleges, National Commission for Minorities, AICTE, and ICAR. The comments are under review and the final decision will be based on them.

The committee suggested the UGC talk over the draft with the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) to ensure that a consultation of all stakeholders is done. They also informed that the post of the UGC chairperson has been vacant since April 2025 and proposed a speedy decision on the appointment.