Nilekani committee seeks public ideas to fix exams

The panel, headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, was announced by PM Modi last month. NEW DELHI: The high-powered task force set up by Centre to overhaul India’s public examination system opened a nationwide consultation on Friday, seeking suggestions from students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders on making high-stakes tests more secure, transparent and student-friendly.The panel, headed by Infosys co-founder and technology expert Nandan Nilekani, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month amid heightened scrutiny of the examination system following NEET-UG paper leak controversy and youth protests over alleged lapses in the test’s conduct.The announcement had come a day after Centre accepted the demands raised by the youth-led CJP, whose protests over NEET leak included calls for then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters. “The High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) on Reforms in Public Examinations wants to hear from students, parents, teachers — every citizen,” a senior official said on Friday.The task force’s mandate “to examine and recommend comprehensive reforms relating to conduct, security, design and governance of public examinations, including examinations conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA), the ministry of personnel said. HPTF, which seeks “to benefit from the experience, knowledge and perspectives of stakeholders”, said the suggestions may dwell on the conduct and security of public exams as well as the examination design and assessment methodology.Stakeholders may give inputs on better governance, accountability and institutional arrangements; as also systems to prevent, detect and redress examination malpractices, the ministry said. The public consultation will remain open till Sept 13, with citizens allowed to send suggestions through WhatsApp, a dedicated website, email and a toll-free number.Officials said the task force is examining reforms across the examination chain — from institutional processes and question-paper security to use of technology and strengthening of examination infrastructure.It will also look at measures to improve accessibility and inclusion, while factoring in student well-being during the examination process.“The objective is to develop a public examination system that is robust, secure, transparent, equitable and future-ready,” the official said. The exercise assumes significance after repeated controversies surrounding national-level entrance and eligibility examinations raised questions over paper security, examination management and the ability of testing agencies to respond quickly to irregularities. Apart from Nilekani, the task force includes former Isro chairperson S Somanath, former Intelligence bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.The panel is expected to recommend both immediate safeguards and longer-term structural changes in the way public examinations are designed, administered and secured. Bharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.