The National Testing Agency has entered the next phase of its restructuring. After terminating the services of 47 officials in the wake of examination controversies, the Ministry of Education has announced the recruitment of senior professionals for key leadership roles and the engagement of 16 Young Professionals through the Union Public Service Commission’s Pratibha Setu portal.
The steps follow recommendations of the High-Level Committee of Experts chaired by Prof K. Radhakrishnan and form part of a broader effort to strengthen the agency’s academic, operational, technological and integrity capabilities.
Four General Manager Positions Notified
Four contractual General Manager-level posts have been notified for an initial tenure of three years. The positions cover critical functional areas:
- Assessment Research and Development and Psychometrics: The head will lead NTA’s academic and measurement-science functions, including item banks, normalisation methodology, equating, calibration and computer-adaptive testing.
- Test Centre Network and Operations: This role will oversee the examination infrastructure across more than 500 cities in India and select international centres, covering capacity planning, centre quality and exam-day operations.
- Information Security (Chief Information Security Officer): The appointee will head cybersecurity, data protection compliance and the Security Operations Centre.
- Vigilance, Investigation and Forensics: The head will lead inquiries into suspected malpractice, build in-house digital forensics capacity and coordinate with agencies such as the CBI, Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, state police and cybercrime units.
These appointments are intended to inject specialist expertise into areas that have come under scrutiny during recent examination controversies.
16 Young Professionals Through Pratibha Setu
Separately, the NTA has opened applications for 16 Young Professionals through UPSC’s Pratibha Setu portal. This is the first time the agency is using the platform. Twelve positions are in academic research, two in legal research and two in finance and accounts.
The engagement is open to Civil Services Examination candidates listed on the Pratibha Setu portal. Selected candidates will be appointed for an initial period of 24 months, extendable up to 36 months based on performance. The move is designed to bring in young talent who have demonstrated high merit in the UPSC process but were not finally recommended.
Broader Restructuring Underway
The Ministry has indicated that additional recruitment and empanelment across the ten functional verticals recommended by the expert committee will follow in the coming weeks. A fresh empanelment process for subject matter experts and translators has also been initiated.
The agency currently operates with a limited permanent cadre and has relied heavily on contractual and outsourced staff. The new appointments form part of an effort to reduce that dependence and build more accountable internal capacity.
Context of Recent Controversies
The restructuring comes after the termination of 47 officials and amid public concern over the integrity of high-stakes examinations, including NEET-UG. Legal and criminal action is expected against some of those whose services were ended. Parallel measures, including a shift of NEET-UG to computer-based testing from 2027 and a review of outsourcing practices, are also under consideration.
Together, the personnel changes and planned operational reforms aim to address past lapses while strengthening systems against future malpractice. The effectiveness of these steps will be measured by improvements in examination security, transparency and public confidence in the testing process.
