Nearly two years after controversies over national entrance examinations triggered major reforms at the National Testing Agency (NTA), a Parliamentary Standing Committee has flagged continuing examination irregularities and warned that they are fuelling anxiety among students.
In its 381st Report on Action Taken by the Government on recommendations contained in the 364th Report on Demands for Grants (2025-26) of the Department of Higher Education, the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports said examination-related irregularities were continuing despite corrective measures initiated by the government.
The committee, headed by Digvijaya Singh, noted that such incidents had led to examination cancellations and caused significant stress for students preparing for highly competitive tests.
The panel reiterated its earlier recommendations and urged the Department of Higher Education to publish a time-bound roadmap for implementing the recommendations of the High Level Committee of Experts headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
“The Committee notes the steps taken by the Ministry, including the constitution of the High Powered Steering Committee headed by Dr K. Radhakrishnan to monitor implementation of recommendations. However, despite these measures, paper irregularities are still happening, leading to cancellation of examinations, thereby causing a lot of anxiety among students,” the report observed.
The panel had earlier endorsed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s acknowledgement, made on June 16, 2024, that “a lot of improvement is needed in the NTA”. It had recommended faster implementation of the reform package and wider consultations with stakeholders to develop a more robust system for conducting nationwide competitive examinations.
Responding to the committee’s observations, the Ministry of Education informed Parliament that the NTA, established in 2018, has conducted more than 250 examinations involving over 5.5 crore candidates since its inception.
The Ministry also highlighted that a High Level Committee of Experts was constituted on June 22, 2024, to examine reforms in the examination process, data security protocols and the structure and functioning of the NTA. The committee submitted its report in October 2024 and recommended a series of changes, including strengthening the NTA, improving coordination with states and involving test-indenting agencies more closely in the examination process.
A High Powered Steering Committee, chaired by Dr K Radhakrishnan, has already been constituted to oversee the implementation of those recommendations, the government informed the panel.
However, the parliamentary committee has called for a publicly available implementation schedule and stronger safeguards to improve confidence in the examination system after repeated controversies surrounding competitive examinations in recent years.
The 381st Report was adopted by the committee earlier this month and focuses on the government’s response to recommendations relating to higher education and examination reforms.
