India exam chief fired amid uproar over marks
The recent controversy surrounding India's National Testing Agency (NTA) and the irregularities in higher education exams has led to significant upheaval.
This has led to the removal of the director of India's National Testing Agency (NTA) due to allegations of inconsistencies in higher education examinations.
Controversy erupted after the announcement of results on June 4, with demands to retake a medical entrance exam. This came in the wake of thousands of students obtaining unusually high scores, sparking protests over suspected cheating. About 67 candidates scored the maximum of 720 points, an occurrence that has never happened before.
Historically, since the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) became the sole entry examination for medical studies in India in 2016, only one to three aspirants annually have secured full marks, with some years recording none. The recent exams also saw a surge in students scoring between 650-680, escalating the competition for coveted spots in premier medical institutions.
In response, the government has convened a committee to propose reforms to the highly competitive examination system.
The federal Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, acknowledged the presence of "some irregularities" earlier this month. Additionally, a PhD fellowship qualifying exam was annulled following a leak of the question paper on the dark web.
