NTA exploring ways to hold home exams
NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is exploring ways of developing a mechanism to conduct exams from home with no scope for unfair practices in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in cancellation of exams, officials aware of the matter said, even as questions related to digital divide remain. There is no immediate plan for holding the prestigious Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility-cum-entrance Test (NEET) through this mode, they added. NTA is an autonomous government agency that conducts entrance examinations for admissions to higher educational institutions. The exams include NEET for undergraduate medical and dental courses and JEE for admission to engineering colleges. “The Covid-19 pandemic has created a challenge as far as conducting exams is concerned and in India, the scale is huge. Therefore, for the future, NTA is looking at building capacity for holding online exams, which candidates can take from their homes,” said an official on condition of anonymity. The official added it would take time before NTA has the capacity to hold highly-competitive exams online.
The official said there is a technology that can be used to monitor computer screens through cameras as well as their backgrounds and it can be used to eliminate any chances of unfair means whenever online exams are held. Observers can immediately flag anything amiss and an exam can even be cancelled, the official added.
NTA took the first step towards holding such an exam when it conducted an online test for Sports Authority of India coaches. Candidates took the remote proctored test using laptops and personal computers that involved 30 multiple-choice type questions. A mock exam was held on June 12 before the actual test two days later.
PISA TEST DELAYED
The global PISA test, which measures the learning at school level by students from different countries, has been postponed due to the ongoing pandemic, with officials saying it will be delayed by at least one year.
According to HRD officials, the exam would not be held before 2022. “The field trials scheduled to be held this year would be held the next while the test which was to be conducted in 2021 will be held not before 2022,” said an HRD official.