New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The National Testing Agency (NTA) has initiated a significant institutional rebuilding process by notifying senior professional positions and engaging young talent through its Pratibha Setu portal.
This marks the first concrete step towards implementing the recommendations of the High-Level Committee of experts chaired by Professor K. Radhakrishnan.
The autonomous body under the Ministry of Education has issued advertisements for four general manager positions on contract, each with an initial term of three years.
These roles are aimed at strengthening key areas, including academic assessment, operations, cyber-security, and vigilance within the agency.
The general manager for assessment research and development and psychometrics will head NTA’s academic and measurement science functions.
This position will oversee item banks, normalisation methodology, equating procedures, and innovative pilots on computer-adaptive testing and AI-assisted assessment.
The role requires a doctorate in psychometrics, educational measurement, statistics or a related field, along with substantial senior leadership experience in testing organisations.
Another key appointment is the general manager for test centre network and operations, who will manage NTA’s extensive network of test centres across more than five hundred cities and select international locations.
Responsibilities include maintaining high standards for empanelment, capacity planning, accessibility for candidates with disabilities, and smooth examination-day coordination with state and district authorities.
The general manager for Information Security, who will also serve as the Chief Information Security Officer, will be responsible for protecting all NTA systems, networks, and data.
This critical role involves ensuring compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Information Technology Act, and CERT-In guidelines, while operating a round-the-clock security operations centre.
The general manager for vigilance, investigation and forensics will lead internal enquiries into malpractices, develop digital forensics capabilities, and coordinate with central agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Intelligence Bureau, and state police under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
In a parallel initiative, NTA has opened engagement for sixteen young professionals through the Union Public Service Commission’s Pratibha Setu portal for the first time.
Twelve positions are dedicated to academic research, two to legal research, and two to finance and accounts. These young professionals, drawn from candidates who appeared in the Civil Services Examination, will serve for an initial period of twenty-four months, extendable up to thirty-six months based on performance.
These appointments, along with a separate expression of interest for empanelment of subject matter experts and translators, form part of a systematic effort to enhance NTA’s academic, operational, technological, and integrity capabilities across ten functional verticals recommended by the expert committee.
Further recruitment actions are expected in the coming weeks.
This comprehensive reform drive is being viewed as a decisive move to strengthen the credibility and efficiency of the National Testing Agency.
–IANS
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