In an effort to restore confidence among the general public, the Union government has appointed Pradeep Singh Kharola, a retired IAS officer as director of National Testing Agency (NTA). NTA is witnessing a period of heightened scrutiny due to allegations of malpractices in high-stakes examinations such as NEET UG and UGC NET.
Pradeep Singh Kharola’s expertise includes more than 3 decades’ involvement with various Indian administrative services positions. He holds a B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering from Indore University besides having worked in different departments at State and Central Government Institutions. Besides others, his forte lies in urban governance, public transport and policy formulation.
One of Corolla’s achievements was transforming Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus service from losses to profitability in the year 2000. His commitment to serving the people earned him the National e-Government Award in 2012. And Prime Minister’s Award for Outstanding Public Administration in 2013.
Key details of IAS Pradeep Singh Kharola
Kharola has previously been Chairman and Managing Director at Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), before that he served at Ministry of Civil Aviation as Secretary General or Co-Secretary of National Administrative Reform Commission.
At this time when NTA is under fire for question paper leaks and wrong marking patterns during exams like NEET UG, Carolla’s appointment becomes even more crucial. Consequently, students were forced to repeat their examinations after they had lost faith in the entire examination process due to paper leakages. The delay of NEET PG &UGC NET exams also shows that urgent reforms are needed here.
The competence and track record gained by Pradeep Singh Kharola over his illustrious career will hopefully bring back some credibility into the state tax agency. It is also expected that his deep knowledge in the field of public administration. And crisis management will be very handy in addressing the present challenges. Corolla will particularly emphasize on stronger examination safeguards to avert future question paper leakage and ensure fairness during tests.
Furthermore, he might review existing testing methodologies as well as marking criteria to ensure there are no disparities. A seven-member committee has been constituted by the government to scrutinize NTA operations and recommend changes as may be necessary. Carolla’s leadership skills will matter most when working with this team in order to introduce real changes. And enhance transparency together with accountability within the department.
The success of leadership by Pradeep Singh Kharola at NTA shall be measured based on how he managed to restore public trust into the organization. For a brighter future for competitive examinations in India, exams should have open-to-all-selection criteria, security details must be toughened up and all dealings must be transparent.
