Centre approves creation of a National Testing Agency

Centre approves creation of a National Testing Agency

Context:

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the creation of a National Testing Agency (NTA) as a Society registered under the Indian Society Registration Act, 1860, and as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions

Introduction:

• The NTA will begin by conducting exams managed by the CBSE and gradually conduct other examinations too.
• The NTA will be chaired by an eminent educationist appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• There will be a Board of Governors comprising members from user institutions.

Benefits of NTA:

• Establishment of NTA will benefit about lakhs of  students appearing in various entrance examinations.
• It will also bring in high reliability, standardized difficulty level for assessing the aptitude, intelligence and problem solving abilities of the students.

Features of NTA :

• The NTA will initially conduct entrance examinations currently being conducted by CBSE. Other examinations will be taken up gradually a gradually after NTA is fully geared up.
• These examinations will be conducted in online mode at least twice a year to give adequate opportunity to candidates to bring out their best.
• In order to serve requirements of the rural students, it will locate centres at sub-district and district level and as far as possible it will undertake hands-on training to the students.
• It would locate the centres at sub-district/district level and as far as possible would undertake hands-on training to the students.
• Its creation will relieve the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)- which conducts exams like the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- and the All-India Council for Technical Education of the burden of conducting entrance tests.

Finances:

• NTA will be given one-time grant of Rs.25 crore from Union Government to start its operation in first year. Thereafter, it will be financially self-sustainable. It will be subjected to Comptroller and Auditor General (GAG) audit.

Impact:

• NTA will benefit about 4 million students appearing in various entrance examinations. It will relieve AICTE, CBSE, and other agencies from from responsibility of conducting these entrance examinations. It will bring in high reliability, standardized difficulty level for assessing intelligence, aptitude and problem solving abilities of students.

Background:

• Finance Minister in his Budget speech of 2017-18 had announced setting up of NTA as autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct all entrance examinations for higher educational institutions in view to have specialized body in India like most advanced countries.

Indian Society Registration Act, 1860

• The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is legislation in India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society-education, health, employment etc.
• It was enacted under the British Raj in India, but is still  in force in India today.
• It provides for the registration of literary, scientific and charitable societies.
• Under the Act societies may be formed, by way of a memorandum of association, by any seven or more people associated for any literary, scientific or charitable purpose.
• The memorandum of association has to be filed with the Registrar of Societies.
• The memorandum has to contain the name of the society, its objects, names, addresses and occupation of the members of the governing body.