NTA must vet paper setters, says Parliamentary panel

A Parliamentary education panel has advised the National Testing Agency (NTA) to transition NEET (UG) to an online examination format and to establish a system for scrutinizing the credentials of those who create exam questions. The panel also urged the NTA to build extensive databases of potential exam questions that can be deployed without prior knowledge of the specific questions to be included in any given test.

Additionally, the panel recommended the NTA institute a system to ensure accountability to the Parliament. The panel's report, which covers the NTA, was compiled by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, chaired by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh. The panel highlighted the need for stronger procedural and institutional reforms following the cancellation of NEET (UG) 2026, despite all previous arrangements.

The NTA's decision to cancel the exam was prompted by allegations of a coordinated leak of the questions, leading the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the matter. The NTA subsequently rescheduled the re-examination for June 21, with government approval. During the probe, the CBI arrested a chemistry lecturer who was reportedly connected to the exam procedures.

The agency claimed that the lecturer had been sharing the question papers, options, and correct answers with students attending coaching classes in Pune prior to the examination.