Centre's panel on exam reforms seeks stakeholders' suggestions till July 7

In the line of fire over the alleged irregularities in medical entrance examination NEET and PhD entrance NET, the Centre had last week notified the panel to ensure transparent conduct of exams

The Centre's high-level panel on examination reforms has sought suggestions and feedback from stakeholders, including students and parents, till July 7, Ministry of Education officials said on Friday.

Amid a raging row on alleged irregularities in exams, the panel headed by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan has been tasked with making recommendations on reforms in the examination process, enhancing data security protocols, and reviewing the structure and operations of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

"The committee is seeking suggestions, views and ideas from stakeholders, particularly students and parents, from June 27 to July 7, 2024. The suggestions can be submitted using mygov platform," a senior MoE official said.

In the line of fire over the alleged irregularities in medical entrance examination NEET and PhD entrance NET, the Centre had last week notified the panel to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.

While NEET is under scanner over several irregularities, including alleged leaks, UGC-NET was cancelled as the ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET and NEET PG -- were cancelled as a pre-emptive step.

The panel also includes former AIIMS Delhi director Randeep Guleria, Central University of Hyderabad Vice-Chancellor B J Rao, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Madras K Ramamurthy, People Strong co-founder and Karmayogi Bharat board member Pankaj Bansal, IIT Delhi Dean of Student Affairs Aditya Mittal and MoE Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal.

The committee has also been tasked with examining the existing security protocols related to the setting of the papers and other processes for different examinations and making recommendations to enhance the robustness of the system.