National Testing Agency not CBSE to conduct entrance exams

The proposal for the creation of an exclusive agency to conduct all entrance tests was cleared by the Union cabinet on November 10, 2017

On November 10, 2017, Friday, the Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared a proposal for the creation of a National Testing Agency (NTA). An exclusive body, NTA will initially conduct entrance examinations currently being managed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Setting up of NTA will reportedly benefit about four million students appearing in various entrance examinations.

According to an official communique, the NTA would, over time, also relieve the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other agencies from the responsibility of conducting entrance tests and hence enabling them to focus on their core mandate.

Exams affected 

CBSE currently conducts major higher education-related entrance tests apart from school exams at the Class X and Class XII level for CBSE-affiliated schools. The board also conducted five other tests including the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for students aspiring to join medical colleges, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Main) for admission to the elite IITs, and the National Eligibility Test (NET) on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for selecting professors to teach in colleges and universities, the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) for appointment of teachers across states, and the entrance test for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). (more)