Don’t replace NTA: Ex-UGC head suggests 3 key changes to improve exam security

The National Testing Agency needs “deep structural strengthening” to address recurring examination-security concerns, but replacing the agency altogether may not be the most useful solution, former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has said. He suggested a series of reforms aimed at securing the examination process, building permanent professional expertise and improving examination centres and candidate



services.

Kumar, who formerly headed the UGC and currently chairs the review committee for the National Education Policy (NEP), told PTI in an interview that examination security should be treated as an “end-to-end examination-security challenge.” He said the scale of NTA’s operations requires stronger systems across question-setting, digital storage, printing, transportation, examination centres, invigilation and result processing.