Pralhad Joshi orders NTA overhaul, 50 staff removed

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has ordered a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) after errors were found in three UGC-NET 2026 papers. The government has removed more than 50 staff members as part of the reforms, though Mathrubhumi reports that 47 of those had already been removed in July for the NEET-UG paper leak and the new figure combines both actions. The minister was briefed on measures including a complete review of examination security protocols and the Confidential Operations (CONOPS) architecture.

The NTA has advertised 10 new leadership roles including Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, with domain specialists from the private sector to be brought in for cybersecurity, psychometrics and question-paper design, according to Times Now. The ministry has directed a thorough audit of all examination processes and asked for a corrective action report. The UGC-NET re-tests for English and Commerce are scheduled for September 9, and Sociology on September 10.

Student groups including NSUI, SFI and ABVP have protested the re-tests, arguing candidates should not suffer for agency errors. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded accountability from NTA leadership. Oppn parties described it as a systemic failure, while ABVP national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki called for accountability, saying students' futures cannot be compromised.