look news india
The Central Government has taken the anomalies, claims of paper leaks and technical glitches in the conduct of major competitive examinations including the National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) very seriously. Amidst all-round questions raised on the credibility and functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the government has started a major administrative operation in the internal structure of the agency. After strict instructions of the Union Cabinet and a high-level review, more than 50 officers and contractual employees associated with the examination conduct, IT and confidential branch of NTA have been relieved with immediate effect. This is considered to be the biggest internal administrative step taken so far to ensure a transparent and error-free examination system.
Blame fell on negligence in confidentiality and examination conduct
In recent months, the UGC NET exam had to be canceled following inputs received from the ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) of the Home Ministry regarding the exam. Given the sensitivity of the matter, preliminary investigation found that there were serious administrative laxities in question paper creation, moderation, data handling and monitoring of outsourcing vendors. Keeping this accountability in mind, the services of about 50 officers, advisors and coordinators posted at various levels have been terminated and some have been sent back to their parent departments.
Implementation of Radhakrishnan Committee recommendations started
To make the examinations foolproof and technically safe, the government has appointed former ISRO chief Dr. K. Implementation of the recommendations of the high level committee constituted under the chairmanship of Radhakrishnan has started. The committee had advocated large-scale recruitment of permanent and subject-matter experts in NTA, reducing excessive dependence on outsourcing staff and stringent audit of data security. The current administrative reshuffle is part of this reform, under which permanent officers of high standards are being posted on sensitive posts related to examination control instead of deputation.
The process of CBI investigation and fixing accountability has been expedited.
The cases of criminal conspiracy and fraud registered in the UGC NET case are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The investigating agencies are not limited to just external solver gangs, but are conducting forensic investigation into the internal mechanisms of NTA and every link from the printing press to the examination centres. Records, digital logs and communication details of the removed personnel and concerned nodal officers are also being analyzed so that if collusion is proven at any level, strict punitive and legal action can be taken against them.
Multi-layer security system for future exams
To restore the confidence of students in competitive examinations, a three-tier security protocol has been prepared for all the upcoming examinations of NTA. This includes biometric verification, real-time AI based CCTV surveillance, mandatory use of jammers and end-to-end encryption for digital question paper transfer. Moreover, the rules for selection and physical verification of examination centers have been made extremely strict in coordination with the State Governments and District Administration.
Protection of interests of lakhs of candidates is top priority
The Education Ministry and the central leadership have made it clear that any kind of compromise with the future of crores of hardworking youth of the country will not be tolerated. Under the stringent provisions of the recently enacted ‘Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act’, the way has been cleared for heavy fines and non-bailable jail sentences against those who rig exams. This major administrative purge in NTA is a clear message that any level of negligence or corruption in the conduct of examinations will not be tolerated at all.