NTA will hold only entrance exams, not job tests: Dharmendra Pradhan

NEW DELHI: National Test Agency will conduct only competitive entrance tests for admission into educational institutions from next year and won’t hold any recruitment exams, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Tuesday. He also said that education and health ministries are deliberating on whether to conduct the medical entrance exam NEET-UG in pen-and-paper mode or online mode.
“We are in talks with the health ministry whether NEET should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online. Whatever option will be considered best suited for conducting the exam, NTA is ready to undertake the exercise being a ‘service provider’ and our aim is to ensure zero-error,” Pradhan said. The detailed modalities for NEET-UG is likely to be announced in 2-3 weeks.

The minister clarified that CUET-UG will continue to be held once a year. While sharing recommendations of committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan for the “smooth and fair” conduct of exams and strengthening of NTA, Pradhan said NTA will adopt recommendations “in letter and spirit” whether it’s about ensuring “secured storage” of question papers and utilising govt educational institutions & infrastructure where sanctity can be ensured while conducting exams.

“NTA will be limited to conducting only entrance exams for higher education and not conduct any recruitment exams from next year,” he said, adding the idea is to conduct “error-free exams” and fix “accountability”.