New Delhi: Under fire over the re-test of three UGC-NET papers that were riddled with several errors, the National Testing Agency (NTA) went into damage control mode on Monday by sacking more people, taking the total number of axed staff members to 50, and roping in professionals for key leadership positions as part of its measures to reform the examination system.
The development came as the NTA faced renewed flak from opposition parties and several student groups who held protests here following the Sunday night announcement of the re-test, demanding that the NTA be scrapped as its “repeated lapses” have put students’ academic and career plans at risk.
NTA sources, however, asserted that it had acted in the interest of students and said internal processes and protocols are being reviewed to ensure that all exams are fair and error-free in the future.
“The minister was apprised about the steps taken by the NTA in the wake of recent issues, particularly with reference to reforming the overall system. He was apprised that more than 50 staff have been removed from the NTA,” the ministry said.
“Ten new professional leadership positions, including chief technology officer, chief finance officer, CISO, GM (test security) and GM (R and D and psychometrics), have been advertised and are being onboarded,” the ministry said.
Domain specialists are also being brought in from the private sector for cybersecurity, psychometrics, question-paper design and other specialised areas, it said.
The minister directed that strict compliance be ensured with the established exam protocols and also directed that a complete overhaul of the confidential operations (CONOPS) architecture, secluded rooms, air-gapped systems, and device deposit protocols be implemented on a war footing, the ministry said.
The NTA has been directed to conduct a thorough audit of all exam processes and submit a report on the corrective actions taken, the ministry said.
The meeting followed after the NTA on Sunday night announced retest for three papers of the UGC-NET June 2026 – English, Commerce and Sociology – following complaints about several errors in those papers.
The English and Commerce papers will be held on September 9, while the exam for Sociology will be conducted on September 10.
The NTA conducted the UGC-NET June 2026 from June 22 to 30 across 87 subjects for the award of junior research fellowship, eligibility for assistant professors, and admission to PhD programmes.
