Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M. John on Thursday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had become a "symbol of corruption and mismanagement" and had undermined the credibility of India's examination system.
In a Facebook post, John claimed that there had been 89 question paper leaks and 48 re-examinations over the past decade, blaming the NTA for the recurring irregularities in national-level examinations.
"The NTA has become a symbol of corruption and mismanagement. The Central government has mortgaged the hard work of lakhs of students to examination mafias," the minister alleged.
Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's protests in Kota and allegations raised by a student named Sarthak regarding discrepancies in CBSE examinations, John said the incidents reflected not technical glitches but deeper structural issues within the country's examination system.
Merely banning Telegram will not restore the credibility that has been lost
-Roji M. John
Accusing Pradhan of evading responsibility, John said the "democratic course of action" would be for the Union Education Minister to resign immediately.
The minister also called for scrapping the NTA's centralised examination system, urging authorities to "stop gambling with the future of students".
Pradhan and the NTA have faced criticism from opposition parties over the functioning of the country's entrance examination system, particularly following allegations of irregularities and question paper leaks in the NEET-UG examination.
Also Read:
The controversy over NEET-UG had led to a retest for a section of candidates and triggered protests across the country.
