Education Ministers to deliberate over centralised testing body responsible for conducting JEE AIEEE NET etc.

Updated on: Monday, April 01, 2013

Education Ministers next week are slated to deliberate on the feasibility of having a centralised testing body responsible for conducting JEE, AIEEE, NET, CAT, CMAT, GATE under it and providing candidates an opportunity to sit for a test more than once in a year.

The 'national agency for testing' will deliver the national-level exams through a dedicated group of professionals, thereby sparing the teachers from the testing exercise. It will do research for preparing question papers, administer and conduct exams.

Holding tests and assessment under the body is likely to become prerequisite for public and private sector engineering, medical and other colleges, universities and institutions for admission and recruitment if the proposal passes through.

While CBSE has prepared a model with objective, structure and functions for the body, government intends to start in a small way by conducting the UGC-NET exam as early as next year.

The proposal would be deliberated at the Central Advisory Board of Education meet attended by state education ministers, academicians among others here on April 2.

HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju has, however, made it clear that joining the body would not be binding and only those who wish can join the body.

Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur said, "Overall, there is an unanimity on the proposal and we have held discussions with the management of CBSE, GATE and testing agencies like Prometric".

As per the plan, the centralised body could have an executive body of whole-time appointees reporting to a General Council with representation of heads of all State Testing Agencies amongst other eminent persons.

A revenue-sharing model with state testing agencies can also be built in so that the new testing scheme would not cause a loss of existing revenue to states.

It could be set up through a special purpose vehicle and have a mechanism to share revenue with state boards.

Education Ministers to deliberate over centralised testing body responsible for conducting JEE AIEEE NET etc.

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