NTA Runs with 15 of 39 Posts Vacant, Minister Confirms in Parliament

Fifteen of the 39 sanctioned posts in the National Testing Agency (NTA) remain vacant, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question from CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan, the minister stated that the NTA currently employs 24 people, all appointed on deputation from various institutions. The agency, which conducts high-stakes examinations such as NEET (UG) and UGC-NET, relies heavily on external hiring, with 73 officials on contract and 124 outsourced staff.

To strengthen operations, 16 senior-level posts (director and joint director) have been created under the Central Staffing Scheme, but appointments remain limited to deputation rather than permanent recruitment.

Mr. Sivadasan criticised the lack of a permanent cadre, calling it “a massive administrative failure that directly impacts students.” He highlighted that the NTA has faced criticism over paper leaks and test cancellations, including incidents in NEET and UGC-NET. The MP noted that while public reports suggest nearly 100 question paper leaks and around 50 re-examinations since 2018, the government has not provided the exact number of re-examinations.

According to the Rajya Sabha reply, the NTA’s revenue more than doubled from ₹504.16 crore in 2018-19 to ₹1,116.84 crore in 2023-24. Revenue figures for 2024-25 and 2025-26 were not disclosed. Since its inception in 2018, the NTA has conducted 270 examinations for over 6.6 crore students, with 65 lakh registrations in 2026 alone.

The government’s response did not address how the agency’s structural autonomy is exercised in practice or who bears final administrative responsibility when errors occur.