NTA needs complete overhaul, permanent staff to ensure foolproof exams: ABVP

New Delhi, RSS' student wing ABVP has sought a complete overhaul of the National Testing Agency , saying the examination body needs permanent staff and a "foolproof" system to prevent paper leaks and ensure accountability.

NTA needs complete overhaul, permanent staff to ensure foolproof exams: ABVPIn an exclusive interview with PTI, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad national general secretary Dr Virendra Singh Solanki said the NTA requires several reforms, including reducing outsourcing, strengthening the paper-setting process and fixing accountability throughout the examination cycle.

"The NTA requires a complete overhaul. There are many reforms that are required in the NTA. The NTA needs permanent staff. A lot of work is outsourced. The system of paper setters also needs to be made foolproof," he said.

"From the allocation of the examination from the day the examination is announced, to its conduct and finally the declaration of results the entire process needs to be made foolproof," he stressed. "There should be people permanently responsible for these processes within the NTA, so that they remain accountable.

That would significantly reduce the chances of compromise," Solanki said. "So I think reforms in the NTA are extremely necessary. If the body needs to be expanded, that should also be done," he added. NTA has been in the eye of a storm following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exams and irregularities in the UGC-NET exam.

Solanki also said ABVP wants NEET-UG to be conducted twice a year and in computer-based test mode, saying the model would reduce the risk of paper leaks while giving students another opportunity to perform well. "It will definitely reduce the risk and it will be very beneficial for students," he said.

"Students will have two options. Many times, students preparing for medical examinations are unable to perform well due to personal reasons, or despite preparing well, their examination does not go as expected. If the exam is conducted twice, they will have another chance if they do not perform well the first time.

"I also think this will significantly reduce the instances of students suffering mental distress or attempting suicide, because they will have another opportunity," he said. On the logistical challenges of conducting a CBT examination for around 12-13 lakh students, Solanki said the test could be held in multiple slots and centres.

"Having that many computers available simultaneously and conducting the exam in a single slot is not possible. But I think it can be conducted in multiple slots, as is done for IIT examinations, and at different centres," he said.

Asked about students in rural areas, Solanki said mock tests and training could familiarise them with CBT examinations and existing computer facilities in schools could be used. "Today, there is an education infrastructure across the country.

Schools have computer classes, and these can be used to provide such facilities to students in remote areas. "Videos of mock tests can also be made available to students through YouTube and other digital platforms. There can be multiple ways to overcome this challenge and ultimately conduct the examination." "I think having the examination twice a year and conducting it in CBT mode would definitely be a major reform for NEET-UG students," he said.

"When we imagine India in 2047 as a country where education is accessible, affordable and quality-oriented, and examinations are corruption-free and paper-leak-free, this could prove to be a major reform in that direction," he added.