Nilekani-led task force gets January 2027 deadline to submit exam reform report

The Centre has set January 2027 for the Nilekani task force's examination reform report. The exercise follows renewed NEET leaks, student protests and calls for safer testing.

In Short

• Panel has received over 50,000 suggestions from diverse education stakeholders
• Consultations include former ISRO chairman and NEET reform expert K Radhakrishnan
• Fresh paper leak protests preceded Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as education minister

The Government of India has granted the six-member task force, headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, until January 2027 to present its recommendations on reforms in the country's examination system, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), citing official sources.

The committee, constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, was entrusted with the task of examining the shortcomings in the country's examination system and suggesting measures to prevent paper leaks and restore public confidence in competitive examinations.

The panel's formation came amid widespread student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 25, following allegations of irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). The development was followed by the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister.

According to PTI, the task force has received more than 50,000 suggestions from students, parents, teachers, educational institutions, subject experts, industry bodies and examination-conducting agencies.

A source familiar with the proceedings told PTI that consultations with stakeholders were continuing and that the government had also submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court detailing the progress made by the panel. The committee, which was earlier expected to submit its report by October 2027, has now been given January 2027 as its deadline.

EARLIER NEET PANEL'S RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER REVIEW

In the course of its deliberations, the Nilekani-led panel has also consulted former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, who headed the committee constituted by the Centre after the NEET paper leak controversy of 2024.

The Radhakrishnan Committee, established in June 2024, submitted its recommendations in October of the same year. The government thereafter constituted a High Powered Steering Committee, also under Radhakrishnan, to oversee the implementation of those proposals.

The Ministry of Education had been undertaking the implementation of the recommendations when fresh allegations of a NEET paper leak this year triggered another wave of protests.

Following the controversy, the Centre announced that NEET would be conducted through a computer-based examination from the next academic year.

The earlier Radhakrishnan Committee had also recommended conducting the medical entrance examination in phases and adopting a computer-based or hybrid examination format in place of the traditional pen-and-paper method.

Six-Member Panel to Examine Examination System

Apart from Nilekani, the task force comprises former ISRO chairman S. Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

The committee is expected to examine the suggestions received from various quarters, continue its consultations and recommend measures to strengthen the examination process.

Its recommendations are expected to address concerns surrounding examination security, transparency and the prevention of question paper leaks, issues that have repeatedly brought India's competitive examination system under scrutiny.

The panel is now expected to submit its report to the Centre by January 2027.

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