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The K. Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted pursuing the controversies surrounding alleged malpractice successful the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduates successful 2024, identified section transport, storage, and quality handling arsenic immoderate of the weakest links successful the behaviour of the examination. The committee that was formed successful June 2024 submitted its study successful October the aforesaid year.
In its report, the committee advised that the exam should beryllium conducted successful phases and a computer/hybrid mode should beryllium brought successful alternatively of relying wholly connected a pen-and-paper exam. The committee besides sought an overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) portion besides reducing insubstantial leak risks, minimising logistical vulnerabilities, improving encrypted transportation and enabling amended audit trails. It said that the NTA should bring successful imperishable nonrecreational staff, trim dependence connected outsourced manpower and person stronger accountability mechanisms.
Now, 2 years later, the Centre is yet to afloat instrumentality the recommendations. NEET-UG is India’s largest entranceway introspection conducted successful a azygous day, successful a azygous displacement and attended by astir 25 lakh candidates.
The study besides stressed connected efforts to forestall impersonation by fake candidates, to ace down connected organised cheating networks, and to blacklist unreliable centres. Digital surveillance, CCTV use, and command-and-control monitoring could fortify these efforts, it said.
As portion of the report-making process, the committee had sought feedback from stakeholders, particularly students and parents. More than 37,000 responses were collected, a bulk of them from Class 12 students.
The committee explained that portion doing distant with third-party engagement successful the exam process is recommended, a district-wise appraisal of infrastructure — particularly successful agrarian areas — is arsenic important.
It said that a computer-based trial could trim insubstantial leak hazard and alteration amended audit trails.
Testing centres
“The NTA whitethorn people processing astatine slightest 1,000 unafraid Standard Testing Centres successful the country, successful a phased manner, successful reputed authorities institutions. This process whitethorn necessitate a ‘war-footing’ approach,” the committee said, adding that it envisaged a aboriginal wherever the NTA could connection a nimble, zero-error, adaptive, and integrative process.
The committee besides said that India could look arsenic a planetary person successful acquisition testing. “Any test-conducting bureau that learns to run nationwide investigating successful India successfully gets to bid a robust exemplary that tin enactment astatine standard successful varied conditions and contexts elsewhere successful the world,” the committee said. It added that the recommendations, erstwhile accepted by the government, should beryllium implemented successful ngo mode.
