NTA to Focus Solely on Higher Education Entrance Exams

by The_unmuteenglish

New Delhi, 17 December 2024: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will cease conducting recruitment exams from 2025, shifting its focus solely to entrance exams for higher education, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Tuesday. This change is part of a broader effort to implement examination reforms following a series of exam leaks and cancellations, including the NEET medical entrance exam.

Pradhan clarified that the NTA’s role will now be limited to higher education exams, with no involvement in recruitment processes. “NTA will be limited to conducting only entrance exams for higher education and will not conduct any recruitment exams from next year,” he said in a statement.

This reform is rooted in recommendations from a high-level panel formed earlier this year after concerns over exam integrity. In response to these issues, the Ministry is also consulting with the Health Ministry to determine whether medical entrance exams should remain pen-and-paper based or transition to a Computer Based Test (CBT).

Additionally, the minister reassured that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG will continue to be held annually. “The government is looking at moving to computer adaptive tests and technology-driven entrance exams in the near future,” Pradhan said.

Looking ahead, Pradhan revealed that NTA will undergo significant restructuring in 2025, which will include the creation of at least ten new posts. “There will be many changes in the functioning of NTA to ensure there is zero-error testing,” he added, underscoring the government’s commitment to improving exam standards.

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