Panel flags NTA staff shortage, moots new question bank system

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has 16 vacancies among its 39 sanctioned permanent posts, leaving 41% of its core positions unfilled, while its director general’s post remained an additional charge for nearly two years between June 2024 and April 2026, a parliamentary committee report tabled in Rajya Sabha on Friday said.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_PRINT)The 31-member committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, headed by Congress MP Mukul Wasnik, called for permanent recruitment of specialists in examination security, technology, data analytics and logistics to reduce dependence on deputation and private contractors.The report follows the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 on May 12 after at least 120 questions in a compilation of suggested questions matched those in the May 3 examination paper. The committee also sought public disclosure of examination irregularities and investigations, noting that the education ministry’s claim that no NTA-conducted examination had suffered a paper leak between 2017 and 2025 differed from the views of some members.NTA’s annual report for 2024-25 recorded 474 court cases, including 69 in the Supreme Court, of which 356 related to NEET-UG 2024.The panel 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 called for a research wing and greater transparency in examination results.Contractual staff increased 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 NTA’s ₹590-crore revenue surplus to upgrade government-owned computer-based testing centres and establish 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 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.