India

NTA Faces 41% Vacancy, Committee Calls for Permanent Staff and New Question Bank

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NTA Faces 41% Vacancy, Committee Calls for Permanent Staff and New Question Bank
Photo: NTA has 16 of 39 permanent posts vacant, while its DG post remained additional charge for nearly two years, a parliamentary panel report said. (HT File Photo)

A parliamentary committee report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday revealed that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has 16 of its 39 sanctioned permanent posts vacant, leaving 41% of its core positions unfilled. The report also noted that the director‑general’s post had remained an additional charge for nearly two years, from June 2024 to April 2026.

The 31‑member committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, chaired by Congress MP Mukul Wasnik, urged the NTA to recruit specialists in examination security, technology, data analytics and logistics on a permanent basis to reduce reliance on deputation and private contractors. It also called for public disclosure of examination irregularities and investigations, noting that the education ministry’s claim of no paper leaks between 2017 and 2025 contradicted some committee members’ views.

The NTA’s 2024‑25 annual report recorded 474 court cases, including 69 in the Supreme Court, of which 356 related to NEET‑UG 2024. The committee recommended a continuously updated question bank, with papers drawn digitally close to examinations and vetted by experts, kept under strict quarantine until the tests conclude. It also suggested establishing a research wing and increasing transparency in examination results.

Contractual staff rose from 39 in 2023‑24 to 76 in 2025‑26, while 136 personnel were outsourced that year. The committee said deputation alone could not build the agency’s institutional capacity. It proposed using the NTA’s ₹590‑crore revenue surplus to upgrade government‑owned computer‑based testing centres and create a network of 1,000 secure centres, at least one in every district. It also recommended mock tests and financial support for school and college IT labs.

The panel urged the NTA to focus on higher‑education entrance examinations and explore reasonable age and attempt limits for major tests, including NEET‑UG. It backed a phased transition to computer‑adaptive testing while calling for stronger cybersecurity measures to guard against hacking and manipulation.

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