NTA to shift offices, revamp exam team after lapses in UGC-NET papers

Agency removes around 600 experts, plans to induct new officials and introduces a four-tier question-paper checking system as CISF teams reinforce security

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will shift its offices to new premises on a “war footing” and reinforce security with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) teams, while revamping its examination team and introducing a four-tier question-paper checking system, the education ministry said on Tuesday.

 

The measures followed directions issued by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi at a meeting on Monday, where he asked the NTA to put in place all necessary security and related infrastructure for the smooth conduct of examinations. At a follow-up meeting on Tuesday, the NTA apprised the minister of the action taken on those directions, the ministry said in a post on X.

 

As part of the overhaul, around 600 experts were removed from the examination team and new experts were onboarded. The agency will also induct another 20-25 officials over the next two to three weeks, while a further induction plan was reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting.

 

The NTA will introduce a four-tier system for checking question papers to strengthen scrutiny before examinations.

 

The decision to shift the NTA’s offices comes after student groups held protests outside its New Delhi office over the past few days, demanding accountability over recent lapses in the conduct of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET).

 

The NTA recently cancelled three UGC-NET 2026 papers — English, Commerce and Sociology — after an expert review found factual, typographical, translation and other errors in the question papers. The agency subsequently announced fresh examinations for the three papers.

 

Student groups have criticised the errors and demanded action against those responsible, with some calling for the NTA to be scrapped. The protests have added to scrutiny of the agency’s examination processes, including its question-paper setting and checking mechanisms.

 

The latest measures come amid broader scrutiny of the NTA’s functioning and examination security. The agency has faced criticism over lapses in several examinations in recent years, including the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG).

 

The NTA will shift its offices to the new premises on a “war footing”, with security reinforced through CISF teams. The agency will also induct 20-25 officials in the next two to three weeks, with a further induction plan reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting.

 

The overhaul of the examination team, additional induction of officials, new question-paper checks and strengthening of office security are part of the measures being taken by the NTA following the minister’s directions, the ministry said.