New Delhi, 8 December (H.S.): The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, chaired by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, has recommended reinstating the pen-and-paper mode of examinations amid rising concerns over paper leaks and the credibility of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The committee has also suggested increasing the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) stipend and instituting wide-ranging reforms in higher education.

Sharing details of the panel’s 371st report on social media platform X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said the committee expressed skepticism about NTA’s growing reliance on online examinations, noting that the agency has “failed to inspire confidence” after a series of controversies.

The panel recommended strengthening NTA’s internal capabilities and prioritizing traditional written exams to restore trust among students and parents.The committee further stressed that transparency and credibility in the examination system are indispensable for regaining public faith. It called for a white paper on irregularities within the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and urged that corrective measures be made public.

The panel also suggested referring the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations of January 2025 to the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) for review.

Ramesh highlighted that the committee recommended UGC recognition for the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), founded by innovator Sonam Wangchuk, citing its significant contribution to experiential learning and the Indian knowledge tradition.

Among other key proposals, the report advocates implementing a unified pension scheme for teaching and non-teaching staff in centrally funded institutions, increasing JRF stipends, filling vacancies across all Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)-affiliated institutes, and enforcing the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations.

The committee also urged an investigation into alleged irregularities at the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and called for a more participatory decision-making process within the Auroville Foundation to safeguard its autonomous structure.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar