IIT Madras Director and Member of High Powered Task Force constituted for NTA examination reforms, Veezhinathan Kamakoti, speaks to media, in Chennai on July 27, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The biggest challenge facing the high-powered task force as it recommends reforms to prevent exam leaks is “trust,” said V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, on Monday (July 27, 2026).
Professor Kamakoti is one of six domain experts on a multidisciplinary panel tasked with revamping the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy.
“The only challenge is trust. We need teachers who we can trust, who will set the question paper and keep quiet,” he said.
The NEET-UG paper leak controversy arose from allegations that question papers were leaked by paper setters and translators.
Professor Kamakoti emphasised that every individual and process in the exam hierarchy —from question generation to centre administration — must be held directly accountable through a clear organisational structure.
“The second NEET exam happened without any issues. That means the system has worked. However, trust is important for an entrance exam at this scale. We need to bring out clear processes. It is not that they don’t exist, but we have to relook at it and fine tune,” he added.
Limits of AI
Addressing the role of AI in exam reform, Professor Kamakoti cautioned against over-reliance on automation: “I do not think AI can independently set a question paper. AI may be able to generate questions, but someone still has to look at them and review them.
“NEET is very inclusive. The exam is conducted in 12 languages. Somebody has to translate it and also verify the translations. AI can certainly assist with translation, but someone must carefully examine them,” he said.
The high-level panel will release a report recommending measures to strengthen the NTA.
(With agency inputs)
Published – July 27, 2026 09:47 pm IST
