India: Testing agency revamp follows renewed criticism

India: Testing agency revamp follows renewed criticism August 18, 2026What you need to know - India's National Testing Agency sacks 50 people, to conduct exam audit - Indian sailors' union claims crew being forced to sail through the Strait of Hormuz - US President Donald Trump cites India's voter ID cards to make case for SAVE America Act Here's a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Tuesday, August 18, 2026: Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed. NTA fires staff, seeks changes amid calls to be dissolved Facing a fresh wave of criticism over botched entrance exams, India's National Testing Agency (NTA)sacked more staff and will undergo an audit in what could be one of the first steps toward widely called-for education reform. The NTA will have to eventually submit a report to the education ministry on the corrective actions it has taken, India's Education Ministry said in a statement. The development came a day after the NTA canceled three national entrance exams it had already conducted because of substantial errors in the question papers. Those included factual errors, translation errors, misspelled names of key figures and a host of repeated questions from previous years. The agency said students would have to retake those exams in September. The latest announcement served as a stark reminder of the canceled medical entrance exam in May after a question paper was leaked. The controversy set the stage for nationwide protests in July that led to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Opposition leaders and prominent student bodies criticized the agency for its most recent failure and renewed calls for it to be dissolved. In response, the NTA sacked additional staff members and began reviewing internal processes and protocols to help ensure future examinations are error-free. On Monday, India's newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi was was informed that 'more than 50 staff have been removed from the NTA,' the ministry said in a post on X.. "The minister directed that strict compliance be ensured of the established exam protocols and also directed that a Complete overhaul of Confidential Operations (CONOPS) architecture, secluded rooms, air-gapped systems, device-deposit protocols be implemented on war footing," it said. Welcome to our coverage Hello, and welcome to DW's India news blog. This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from New Delhi, where the air is heavy with humidity and the calls for reform are growing "India's National Testing Agency, which faced significant criticism over the recent NEET exam controversy, is looking to make changes after it botched another set of critical entrance exams. The agency will undergo an audit and implement reforms as critics call for it to be dissolved altogether. Speaking of education and reform, student protesters in the eastern state of Jharkhand have proclaimed a victory after the state canceled key recruitment exams over alleged irregularities, a key demand of protesting students. At the same time, a new protest has emerged, led by those who were already in the recruitment process. In other news, a national seafarers' union said that Indian sailors on board a commercial vessel were being pressured to sail through the Strait of Hormuz despite dangers from the ongoing conflict. Stay tuned for all of this and more!