Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The otherwise pen and paper based National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) will be held as a computer-based exam from 2027 and is expected to be held in nearly 500 cities, with most test centres located in government institutions including Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya Vidyalayas, as per The Indian Express. Some reputed private institutions may also be selected as centres, it said.
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The report said each centre is likely to accommodate around 500 candidates daily, allowing nearly five lakh aspirants to appear for the exam every day over a five-to-six-day testing window.
Alongside the examination changes, the Ministry of Education is also planning a comprehensive restructuring of the NTA, the agency responsible for conducting national entrance examinations.
Citing sources, The Indian Express reported that the overhaul will cover the agency’s organisational structure, technology, infrastructure and examination processes.
“We are going to change the entire organisation of the NTA, from top to bottom,” sources told the newspaper. The revamp is expected to be completed before October.
The reforms come in the aftermath of the NEET UG paper leak that forced the government to cancel the May 3 examination this year and conduct a retest. The controversy triggered nationwide protests, legal challenges and a CBI investigation.
According to the report, the proposed changes are based on recommendations of the seven-member high-level committee headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan. The committee was constituted in 2024 following an earlier NEET paper leak to recommend measures for improving the integrity of public examinations.
DETAILED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN NOT MADE PUBLIC
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier announced that NEET UG would shift from the traditional pen-and-paper format to a computer-based test from 2027, following the committee’s recommendations. However, the detailed implementation plan had not been made public until now.
The report added that a detailed notification outlining the examination schedule, shift timings and list of test cities is expected after the NTA restructuring is completed.
Commenting on the ongoing investigation into the latest paper leak, sources told The Indian Express that investigations are continuing and that “no one will be spared” if found guilty.
The newspaper also noted that senior officials from the Ministry of Education and the NTA recently briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on measures being taken to strengthen the country’s entrance examination system.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
