Exam Reforms: Nilekani-led Panel Consults Ex-ISRO Chief Who Headed Radhakrishnan Committee

The Nandan Nilekani-led high-level task force on exam reforms has consulted former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, who headed a panel set up by the Centre following the 2024 NEET paper leak, according to officials.

The task force set up in July is presently in the process of consulting various stakeholders and has also invited suggestions from students, parents, teachers, academic institutions, subject matter experts, industry organisations and exam-conducting bodies.

The Radhakrishnan Committee, which was set up in June 2024, submitted its recommendations in October that year. Centre then set up another panel called High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC), also headed by Radhakrishnan, to monitor implementation of the recommendations.

The Ministry of Education was in the process of implementing those suggestions when another paper leak for the medical entrance NEET this year blew up into a huge controversy, leading to widespread protests and ultimately the resignation of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Nilekani Committee To Submit Report

A day after Pradhan's resignation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the constitution of a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend reforms to make the exam system leakproof. The panel is yet to submit its report.

"The High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) was set up under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani, former chairman, UIDAI, to study and recommend comprehensive reforms in the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The HPTF is reviewing the exam processes and will recommend reforms to make the examination system robust, secure, transparent, trustworthy and future-ready," a senior official told PTI.

"The committee's recommendations will be anchored in the utilisation and leveraging of the latest technologies. The task force has held comprehensive discussions with various stakeholders, including DG NTA and the Department of Higher Education. The HPTF has also consulted with K Radhakrishnan, the chairman of the HPSC," the official added.

The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee made recommendations for reforms in the examination process, improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of the NTA.

Restructuring The NTA

Calling for a complete restructuring of the NTA, the Radhakrishnan panel made 101 recommendations for enhanced security controls for examination-critical systems covering question paper systems, candidate registration, fee payment, admit card systems, computer-based testing platforms, OMR processing, normalisation engines and result systems.

The panel was also of the opinion that NTA must restrict its scope strictly to higher education entrance exams while overhauling its governance, security, and digital infrastructure.

However, following the paper leak this year, the Supreme Court reprimanded the NTA, saying "it has not learnt its lessons".

"The recommendations made by the previous panel are being studied by the new task force. The Supreme Court had also asked the Centre to submit a report on the status of implementation of the recommendations," the official added.

Besides Nilekani, other members of the task force are former chairman of ISRO S Somanath, former director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, IIT Chennai Director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.