Question marks galore over leaked question papers of NTA

The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting national-level examinations, has been under fire. Recent allegations have emerged that the UGC-NET exam, a crucial test for aspiring college and university lecturers, was leaked and had to be cancelled. This comes on the heels of the NEET-UG 2024 examination scandal, where the Supreme Court ordered a re-examination due to similar issues of paper leaks and irregularities

In fact, the cancellation of the UGC-NET examination and police probes in Bihar and Gujarat into the alleged leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) question paper has created sensation in the entire country.

NEET-UG attracted news headlines for the wrong reasons, as some students topped the list of qualified candidates with grace marks, scoring 720 out of 720. The NEET results, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), were declared on 4th June, while the nation was busy observing the outcome of the General Elections 2024. Surprisingly, the results came 10 days earlier than initially announced by the nodal agency. Moreover, few other students received strange marks, which is otherwise impossible with the current calculation system of 4 marks for each correct answer and -1 for every incorrect response in the 200-minute test.

The NEET process is alleged to empower some coaching centres, which focus primarily on question-answer based discussions without covering the regular syllabus. These centres exploit desperate parents by promising high scores, for admission into prestigious institutions such as All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, IMS-BHU, KMC (Manipal and Mangalore), CMC Vellore, and government medical colleges.

Previously, the process was completed by the All India Pre Medical Test, along with other entrance tests conducted by State governments and different medical colleges. A large number of participants took to the streets, and the matter has now reached the apex court, where the NTA admitted to offering grace marks to 1,563 students this year. However, the agency, established by the Union government in 2017 with the mandate to conduct entrance and recruitment examinations, neither disclosed the provision of extra marks in the examination brochures nor divulged the criteria for the same. Described as a ‘premier, specialist, autonomous, and self-sustained testing organisation,’ the NTA has not clarified if it practiced the grace mark system in NEET-UG 2023 or any other tests.

P Suhani Madhusudan, who had appeared in NEET for the second time this year to improve her score says, “Last year I had scored 350, so to improve my score I had appeared in the exam this year too. I was on cloud nine when I saw my score at 675 and had been keeping my fingers crossed to make it big in terms of getting the medical college of my choice. To my utter surprise, I got the rank within 10,000 which was much beyond my expectations of getting it within 4000. It is shocking. Again, the news that the exam will take place again is quite depressing for me.”

In its bid to take prompt action into the controversies shrouded into the episode, the Centre shunted out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General, Subodh Kumar Singh, and handed over the probe into irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG, to the CBI.

Besides, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) Chairman and Managing Director, Pradeep Singh Kharola, has been given additional charge of the NTA, till the appointment of a regular incumbent. The NTA MD, Kharola will now report to the autonomous body's Chairperson, Pradeep Kumar Joshi, a noted academic and administrator.

The Education Ministry has also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief, K Radhakrishnan, to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms. It postponed the NEET-PG entrance, the fourth entrance exam to be impacted in recent days.

The NEET exam conducted on 5th May, whose results were scheduled to be released on 14th June but were released 10 days earlier on 4th June, has been mired in controversy for a number of reasons including 67 students scored perfect marks, getting 720. Students scored 718 and 719 marks, is impossible according to the NEET marking scheme. Releasing NEET-UG results 10 days earlier on 4th June, same day when Lok Sabha poll results were announced-there was also a controversy over grace marks awarded to students to make up for the loss of time at six centres. The Centre later told the apex court that the grace marks were being scrapped and these 1,563 students would be given an option of a retest.

"There is a severe need for immediate and effective reforms within the NTA. Ensuring the integrity of national-level exams is critical for maintaining the trust of millions of students and educators"

Sreeram Gopalkrishnan, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication, says, “There is surely a need for agencies like NTA in the country to conduct those competitive exams. They have done some good work, which should not be forgotten. Yes, it can be better.”

“It requires the involvement of multidisciplinary systems, softwares and technology professionals. Perhaps they need to have IT infrastructure with ERP so that entire process becomes secure and is not tarnished by any doubt,” said Gopalkrishnan. “NTA has already done good work. But, they need to go to the next step so as to ensure the security and hygiene of the system. If they are able to do so then it will be great,” he added.

The UGC-NET exam is essential for determining the eligibility of candidates for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship positions in Indian universities and colleges. Reports indicate that mafias are selling the leaked UGC-NET papers for as much as `3-4 lakh in various cities across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Allegations of paper leaks, arbitrary marking, and preferential treatment have led the Supreme Court to cancel the previous exam and order a fresh one. Students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh pointed out discrepancies in scores, including statistically improbable perfect scores from a single coaching centre. Over 13,000 students contested the provisional answer key released by the NTA, further highlighting the flaws in the examination process.

Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in a computer-based test mode on 18th June, across 1205 exam centres in 317 cities, the UGC-NET exam's integrity was allegedly compromised. Just a day after the exam, the NTA decided to cancel it, citing serious concerns about its integrity.

This sudden cancellation has had far-reaching consequences, leaving students who had diligently prepared for this exam in a state of uncertainty and anxiety. Many aspirants had pinned their hopes on this opportunity, and the abrupt cancellation has left them devastated.

The NTA's primary responsibility is to ensure the smooth conduct of exams while maintaining the highest standards of integrity. The leak of exam papers indicates a severe lapse in security protocols, raising critical questions about how sensitive information reached unauthorised hands. This negligence jeopardises the future of thousands of students, and the NTA must be held accountable.

The consequences of NTA's incompetence have been devastating. The stress and uncertainty caused by these scandals have reportedly driven some students to take their own lives. The pressure of preparing for highly competitive exams, combined with the betrayal of leaked papers and cancelled results, is too much for many young minds to bear. This tragic loss of life is a direct result of the NTA's failure to conduct secure and fair examinations.

There is a severe need for immediate and effective reforms within the NTA. Ensuring the integrity of national-level exams is critical for maintaining the trust of millions of students and educators.