Two-stage NEET, permanent exam body among suggestions to reform India’s exams

ABVP, United Doctors Front and Educators Federation of India propose a two-stage NEET, a permanent exam authority and independent audits to improve exam security.

A two-stage NEET, a permanent statutory national examination authority and an independent body to audit examination standards are among the proposals submitted to the High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) on public examination reforms, as stakeholders call for a more secure, transparent and error-free system for national-level entrance tests.

The suggestions, covering examination security and design, governance, technology, malpractice prevention, infrastructure, transparency and student well-being, came after the Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani-led HPTF invited inputs from students, parents, teachers, academic institutions, examination bodies and technology experts on making India’s public examination system “robust, secure, transparent, equitable and future-ready”.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), doctors’ and medical students’ body United Doctors Front (UDF), and coaching group representatives Educators Federation of India have proposed measures ranging from restructuring the examination authority to changing the architecture of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and tightening the movement and handling of question papers.