Congress Critiques NTA's Handling of Exam Integrity Amid Paper Leak Scandals
Congress Raises Concerns Over NTA's Competence
New Delhi: The Congress party has expressed serious concerns regarding the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Ministry of Education, following a parliamentary standing committee report that outlines significant incompetence and malpractice. They urged the Modi administration to acknowledge the report's findings before their time in power runs out.
The report, titled "Reforms and Strengthening of the National Testing Agency (NTA)," reveals that the Ministry of Education made a "blatantly false" assertion to the committee, claiming that no exam paper leaks had occurred since the NTA's establishment in 2017.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress's general secretary for communications, stated that the committee, led by Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik, has documented severe issues within the NTA and the Ministry of Education.
In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted the ongoing GyaneshGate controversy but reminded that just three months prior, the NTAgate scandal had sparked youth protests. He shared the party's statement based on the committee's findings.
Ramesh pointed out six critical issues from the report, emphasizing the Ministry's "audacious" claim that no paper leaks had occurred from 2017 to 2025, despite evidence of nine known incidents of leaks and irregularities.
He questioned the possibility of a fair investigation when the Ministry refuses to acknowledge the problems. Ramesh noted that the NTA operates as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860, lacking the accountability typically associated with statutory bodies.
The report also criticized the NTA for being an "empty body" that delegates essential responsibilities to private contractors. With only 39 sanctioned positions, the NTA relies heavily on these contractors for exam administration.
Currently, only 23 of the sanctioned posts are filled, resulting in a 41% vacancy rate, despite recommendations from the K Radhakrishnan Committee to strengthen the NTA's workforce.
Ramesh explained that all permanent positions are filled through deputation, with officers serving limited tenures of 2-3 years, hindering the development of institutional knowledge.
The NTA's structure lacks transparency, facilitating the operations of the paper leak mafia. The committee has repeatedly called for a national blacklist of firms with a history of failing to provide examination services, yet such measures have not been implemented.
Ramesh criticized the NTA for not publishing NEET-UG results in an accessible manner, unlike the UPSC, which prevents transparency and the identification of performance anomalies.
He noted that between the NEET paper leaks of 2024 and 2026, the NTA's Director General was appointed on an additional charge basis, which hampered effective leadership during a crisis.
Ramesh accused the NTA of prioritizing profit over student welfare, citing a revenue surplus of Rs 590 crore that was not reinvested into student support or exam infrastructure.
He recalled that former Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had dismissed previous reform recommendations from the committee due to the presence of opposition members, expressing hope that the current government would take the report seriously.
The parliamentary committee, investigating the NTA's role following the NEET UG paper leak and subsequent exam cancellation, has called for a legislative framework to ensure the agency's accountability to Parliament.
The committee emphasized that trust in NTA's examinations is crucial for social justice and national integrity, urging the education department to establish a parliamentary framework for accountability.
While acknowledging the NTA's past improvements, the committee stated that the cancellation of NEET (UG) 2026 indicates that further reforms are necessary. The NTA had canceled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam on May 12, following allegations of a paper leak.