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New Delhi : The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved creation of National Testing Agency (NTA) as a Society registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, and as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.
The NTA would initially conduct those entrance examinations which are currently being conducted by the CBSE. It will conduct other examinations after NTA is fully geared up. The entrance examinations will be conducted in online mode at least twice a year thereby giving adequate opportunity to candidates to bring out their best.
NTA will be chaired by an eminent educationist appointed by MHRD. The CEO will be the Director General to be appointed by the Government. The Director General will be assisted by 9 verticals headed by academicians/ experts. NTA will be given a one-time grant of Rs 25 crore from the Government of India to start its operation in the first year. Thereafter, it will be financially self-sustainable, according to a PIB release.
Establishment of NTA will benefit about 40 lakh students appearing in various entrance examinations. It will relieve CBSE, AICTE and other agencies from responsibility of conducting these entrance examinations and also bring in high reliability, standardized difficulty level for assessing the aptitude, intelligence and problem solving abilities of the students, according to the PIB release.
In view of the need to have a specialized body in India like the most advanced countries, the Finance Minister in the Budget speech of 2017-18 had announced setting up of a National Testing Agency (NTA) as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct all entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.