All India Students’ Association (AISA) today held a protest at the headquarters of the National Testing Agency (NTA), demanding an end to the systemic mismanagement, irregularities and privatisation of the country’s examination system.
Students reiterated the fact that genuine reform of competitive examinations cannot be achieved merely through cosmetic changes within NTA. NTA must be scrapped entirely and the examination system must be brought back under transparent, accountable and publicly controlled institutions. When students and youth gathered demanding an end to NTA and its regime of paper leaks, the police detained protesting students. Saurabh, a PhD scholar from JMI was also detained and taken by the police We strongly condemn the brutal detention of protesting students and believe that it is the same model of continuing model of repression which we all witness during the anti-paper leak movement. The BJP government has completely failed to address the problems students are facing due to the crumbling educational system.
The latest controversy surrounding the June 2026 UGC-NET examination is yet another example of the crisis created by the NTA model. During the June examination, multiple reports emerged regarding irregularities in the Sociology paper, including circulation of a PDF purportedly containing questions and answers from within the NTA system. Serious concerns were also raised regarding the English paper, which was reported to contain majority of questions reproduced from the 2024 examination. NTA first released the answer key on 16th August after 2 months of exams, while issuing a special notice concerning Sociology, Commerce and English.
Later the same evening, NTA announced that these three examinations would be conducted again in September, citing factual, typographical, translation and grammatical errors. The decision has compounded the crisis for students. Delayed NET results have already affected PhD admissions across universities in the country, while students are now being forced to prepare for re-examinations with barely two weeks of effective preparation time. Students are being made to pay the price for an examination system that is dishonest and opaque with no scope for democratic accountability.
Aameen, who was on hunger striker for 23 days and a PhD scholar states, “There is no respect for doctors in this country, be it NET or NEET, academic or medical. The critical thinking of youth and their lives are being endangered time and again by the government.” AISA demands the completing abolition of NTA. The Modi government must take responsibility for the failures and ensure that no student suffers because of its administrative and systemic incompetence.
The organisation also demanded a time-bound, independent investigation into the reported examination irregularities and alleged leaks, along with immediate clarity on results, admissions and the re-conducted examinations. AISA reiterated that students will not accept being punished for the failures of NTA. The organisation will continue to mobilise students against examination-related irregularities and demand a complete overhaul of the country’s examination system.
