Now Reading: NTA slashes expert tenures, sacks 600 after leaks
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NTA slashes expert tenures, sacks 600 after leaks
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has launched a major overhaul of its examination system, cutting subject experts' tenures and removing around 600 experts after a series of paper leaks and errors. India Today reports that a senior NTA official described the agency as dealing with a 'big mafia' seeking to compromise people involved in the process. The changes follow the 371st Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which noted that five of 14 NTA exams in 2024 faced major problems including leaks, postponements and delays.
Hindustan Times reports that the NTA has introduced a four-stage screening process for new subject experts, including document verification, subject-matter evaluation, background checks and formal empanelment. Experts will be empanelled for three years and paid Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 a year for 7 to 15 days of work. The agency is also splitting question-paper preparation among separate teams, deploying CISF for physical security, and using air-gapped computer systems isolated from the internet.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India Today leads with the 'big mafia' threat and the parliamentary panel's criticism, framing the overhaul as a crisis-driven response to organised criminal targeting of exam integrity. Hindustan Times leads with the new four-stage hiring process, presenting the changes as a procedural upgrade. India Today emphasises the scale of failure, 600 experts sacked, 5 exams compromised, while Hindustan Times gives a neutral, how-to account of the new empanelment rules. A careful reader can see both sides: the NTA is tightening security after acknowledged failures, but the focus on hiring procedures alone does not address the deeper structural vulnerability that allowed repeated leaks. The key date to watch is the induction of 20, 25 new officials in the next two to three weeks.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): indiatoday.in (government critical), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
