Parliamentary panel to review NEET-UG re-test learnings, NTA reforms on July 1

Parliament's education panel will review the NEET UG 2026 re-examination and proposed NTA reforms on July 1. A second sitting will examine how AI could influence teaching and student employability.

In Short

• Committee meeting on July 1 begins with review of re-exam learnings
• K Radhakrishnan will present a roadmap to strengthen the testing agency
• Vineet Joshi and Abhishek Singh will brief members on pending challenges

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports will hold a key meeting on July 1 to review the NEET-UG re-examination and discuss reforms to strengthen the National Testing Agency (NTA), with senior officials from the Ministry of Higher Education and the testing agency expected to brief members.

Former ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, who heads the government's high-powered steering committee monitoring the implementation of NTA reform recommendations, will present a roadmap on "Reforms to Strengthen the National Testing Agency".

Higher Education Secretary Dr Vineet Joshi and NTA Director General Abhishek Singh will also appear before the panel. Singh is expected to brief the committee on the lessons from the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination conducted on June 21 and the steps taken to improve the examination process.

The meeting comes at a time when the testing body is under renewed focus following this year's re-exam and ongoing efforts to strengthen the conduct of national entrance tests.

FROM PAPER LEAK TO PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

The NEET-UG examination originally held on May 3 was cancelled by the government following allegations of a paper leak and was conducted again on June 21. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the alleged leak.

The parliamentary panel is expected to examine what went wrong during the original examination, how the re-examination was conducted, and what institutional changes are needed to prevent similar incidents in future.

This will be the first meeting of the committee under its new chairman, Congress MP Mukul Wasnik. Earlier, the panel was headed by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who retired from the Rajya Sabha on June 21.

AI IN EDUCATION ALSO ON THE AGENDA

The committee's afternoon session will focus on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on education and strategies to improve student employability.

Experts invited to depose before the panel include:

• Professor Arun C Mehta, former head of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)
• Professor T G Sitharam, former AICTE Chairman and former Director of IIT Guwahati
• Representatives from the Delhi School of Artificial Intelligence
• Sarvam AI

Lawmakers are expected to discuss how AI can be integrated into education while ensuring that students develop skills aligned with a rapidly changing job market.

The panel had earlier summoned senior officials from the Higher Education and Health ministries, the NTA and the National Medical Commission (NMC) over the NEET paper leak controversy and issues related to the CBSE on-screen marking system.

The upcoming meeting is likely to be an important step in shaping future examination reforms and technology-driven education policies.

- Ends