The Ministry of Education today established a high-level expert group to offer recommendations on how to improve data security measures, change the examination process, and other related issues amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding claims of paper leaks.
According to a statement made today (June 22), the Bihar Police detained six individuals from the Deoghar region of Jharkhand in relation to suspected irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), a medical entrance exam. He said that on Friday night, they were taken into custody from a home close to AIIMS-Deoghar in the Devipur police station area.
The tip-off came from the Bihar Police. They were brought into custody when we were identified. "Everyone who was suspected has been brought to Bihar," SDPO (Deoghar Sadar) Ritvik Srivastava informed the press. According to him, the suspects were residing at Jhunu Singh's home.
The list of six suspects that have been identified is as follows:
Paramjit Singh alias Bittu
Chintu alias Baldev Kumar
Kaju alias Prashant Kumar
Ajit Kumar
Rajiv Kumar alias Karu
Panku Kumar
In a statement, the Deoghar Police said that each of them lived in the Bihar district of Nalanda.
NEET test in 2024
“On May 5, the NTA held the NEET-UG, which attracted almost 24 lakh applicants. After the results were released on June 4, there were claims of question paper leaks in places like Bihar in addition to other anomalies.
New Supreme Court petition requests CBI and ED investigation into NEET-UG test
A new appeal has been submitted to the Supreme Court, requesting that the CBI and the ED look into claims of anomalies in the May 5 medical entrance exam, NEET-UG. In addition to requesting an order for Bihar Police to accelerate the case's investigation and submit a report to the highest court, ten students who took the exam filed the appeal.
"The petitioners understand exactly how the cancelation of the examination will affect them, but they have no other choice. In addition to numerous other anomalies, the NEET UG Examination of 2024 included flagrant disregard on the part of the authorities in not providing the question papers to the candidates in a timely manner. The plea stated that the incorrect batch of question papers had been issued in certain locations and then recalled.
Amid growing outrage over alleged irregularities in administering the all-India medical entrance exam, the top court had earlier requested responses from the Center, the National Testing Agency (NTA), and others on a plethora of petitions, including those seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored probe.
A seven-person group is formed by the Education Ministry to revamp the test process.
The Ministry of Education announced today that, in the midst of the ongoing controversy surrounding claims of paper leaks, a high-level expert committee has been established to provide recommendations on how to improve data security protocols, restructure the examination process, and run the National Testing Agency (NTA). Within the next two months, the ministry will receive the report from the seven-member team, which is chaired by Dr. K Radhakrishnan, the former chairman of ISRO.
Alleged discrepancies in this year's NET test and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) exams have the NTA under fire. Political groups and activists demanded that the NTA be dissolved, sparking many demonstrations around the nation.
"In order to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through National Testing Agency (NTA), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts to make recommendations on Reform in mechanism of examination process improvement in data security protocols and structure and functioning of National Testing Agency," the ministry stated.
The ministry's announcement follows Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's announcement on Thursday that a high-level committee will be formed by the government to examine the National Testing Agency's operations and suggest changes. In addition to K Radhakrishnan, the following people are mentioned: Prof. B J Rao, Vice Chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad; Prof. Randeep Guleria, Former Director of AIIMS Delhi; Prof. Ramamurthy K, Emeritus Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras; Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder, People Strong, and Board Member, Karmayogi Bharat; Prof. Aditya Mittal, This group also includes Govind Jaiswal, Member Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and Dean of Student Affairs, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. The ministry states that the committee will analyze the entire examination process and recommend ways to make the system more effective and prevent any potential breaches before considering changing the structure of the examination process.
Examining NTA's processes and standard operating procedures
The committee will also thoroughly examine the NTA's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Protocols, making recommendations for strengthening them as well as monitoring systems to guarantee compliance at all levels. By assessing the current data security procedures and protocols of NTA and making recommendations for improvements, the committee will also provide recommendations for ways to strengthen data security protocols. The Ministry of Education stated in the statement that they will also look at current security procedures pertaining to paper-setting and other procedures for various exams and offer suggestions to strengthen the system's resilience.
Additionally, they will examine the National Testing Agency's organizational structure and operations, offering suggestions for improving both in order to implement the recommendations outlined in points (i) and (ii) and to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all level of employees. Additionally, the committee will evaluate the NTA's current Grievance Redressal Mechanism, point out areas for improvement, and offer suggestions for raising its effectiveness.
"Within two months of the date this directive was issued, the Committee is to report to the Ministry. Any Subject Matter Expert can be co-opted by the Committee to help them, according to the ministry.
