Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan calls for reforms and state support in national entrance exams

NEW DELHI: In a call to action, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged all state education secretaries to support the Centre’s initiative to achieve "zero-error level" national entrance exams. Speaking after the inaugural session of the two-day National Workshop on Higher and Technical Education, Pradhan announced that comprehensive reforms to streamline the conduct of entrance exams will begin in January 2025.

These changes, based on insights from last year’s examinations, aim to enhance the exams’ accuracy and operational efficiency. They are also based on recommendations from the Radhakrishnan Committee, set up following allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET earlier this year.

Pradhan emphasised that the workshop serves as a collaborative platform to explore educational reforms that promote "ease of living," enhance economic productivity, and meet national priorities. Highlighting the need to align educational infrastructure with global standards, he stated that embracing Industry 4.0 and developing an educational framework that fosters a productive economy are vital steps forward.

“I have appealed to all state education secretaries that a new entrance series for next year will begin in January. Based on last year's experiences, the govt has taken many reform approaches. The Radhakrishnan Committee recommended a new form for the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the Supreme Court also issued an order on this. The committee submitted its report this month, and implementing it requires significant assistance from the states. I have appealed to everyone to bring entrance examinations to a zero-error level, a responsibility shared by both the central and state govts. We will work as a team to build confidence in our country's children,” said Pradhan.

Making his first public statement on the exam reform committee’s recommendations, Pradhan said: “Recommendations have been made on how examination centres will be decided, considering previous flaws. There are also recommendations on the type of examinations and specific dos and don'ts. We need to address some topics and put some into practice, and we will be doing all of this."

Addressing academic leaders and officials, Pradhan outlined five priority areas for reform. These include strengthening public universities through new funding models, developing think tanks to adapt curricula to industry demands, promoting multidisciplinary research, expanding leadership programs, and enhancing campus life through cultural and sports activities.

The deliberations are spread across 14 technical sessions, which will cover themes such as digital governance, financing education, and capacity building.

The workshop brought together educational leaders, including the minister of state for education and development of the north eastern region, Sukanta Majumdar; secretary of the department of higher education, K Sanjay Murthy; and UGC Chairperson, M Jagadesh Kumar. Secretaries from various states and union territories, alongside academic leaders and ministry officials, attended the event to discuss the NEP 2020 implementation and the roadmap for the next five years of education reforms.


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