Following sharp criticism regarding the conduct of examinations, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has made significant changes. The agency excluded 600 experts from its team.
Earlier on Sunday, NTA cancelled three exams for UGC-NET subjects, citing reasons such as translation errors and factual inaccuracies. These measures were taken by NTA after strong criticism from the opposition.
After a meeting held on Monday chaired by Prahlad Joshi, who became the Minister of Education following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over disputes concerning the NEET-UG exams, the ministry announced on Tuesday evening that the Minister of Education instructed ensuring all necessary safety and infrastructure conditions for the smooth conduct of examinations.
The Director of NTA, Abhishek Singh, informed the ministry about the actions taken by the agency. It should be noted that NTA is responsible for conducting numerous exams across the country, and these steps are being taken against the backdrop of the agency's continuous emphasis on the impartiality, transparency, and security of examinations. The agency conducts key entrance and qualifying tests such as NEET (UG), CUET (UG), and UGC-NET.
The Ministry of Education reported the list of completed work, noting: 'Changes have been made to the examination team, within which 600 experts have been replaced by new experts.' Furthermore, a four-level verification system for test questions will be introduced to strengthen the checking of examination materials.
It is also planned to include 20–25 staff members over the next two to three weeks, and the adaptation plan will be revised. Additionally, the NTA office will be relocated to a new facility under military protocol, where the security of the NTA office will be reinforced by CISF teams.
Union Minister of Education Prahlad Joshi directed in the NTA review meeting to ensure all necessary safety measures and infrastructural capabilities for the smooth and secure conduct of examinations.
Three UGC NET exams scheduled for June 2026 were cancelled. These subjects included English, Commerce, and Sociology. The exams were scheduled to take place from June 22 to June 30, 2026. The National Testing Agency announced the cancellation and subsequent re-examination of these three subjects. The situation arose after receiving numerous complaints from candidates and experts, after which NTA formed a committee. The committee found serious and extensive errors in these three exams, including factual inaccuracies, typographical errors, and translation errors.