5 min readAug 8, 2026 02:10 PM IST
First published on: Aug 8, 2026 at 02:10 PM IST
By Malish C M and Akshay C C
The first University Education Commission (1948-49), led by Dr S Radhakrishnan, made a bold statement: “We are convinced that if we are to suggest one single reform in university education, it should be that of the examinations (p.286).” After seven decades, the Union government constituted yet another “expert committee”, headed by Nandan Nilekani, to suggest reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA). In fact, it is the second committee in two years. The first committee, headed by former ISRO Chairperson K Radhakrishnan, submitted its report to the government in 2024. In light of the new task force, this article highlights the underrepresentation of states and students, teachers, and institutional leaders from state universities in the decision-making process. Further, we also engage with growing criticism that “techno-expertocracy” is becoming the default mode of policymaking in education. Any attempt to narrowly redefine examinations as a technical rather than an academic affair will have far-reaching implications and is less likely to uphold federalism in education and the autonomous and civilisational ethos of universities.
NTA in focus
The NTA was established in 2017 as an independent and autonomous organisation to conduct tests assessing candidates’ competency for admission to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). HEIs include state universities and their affiliated colleges, apart from the centrally funded HEIs, which account for the major share of student enrolment. Apart from the Chairperson and the Member Secretary of the NTA Governing Body (GB), who are a former UPSC chairperson and a serving IAS officer, respectively, there are 12 members in the GB — all of whom are institutional leaders representing Centrally Funded Higher Education Institutions (CFHIs) or organisations such as IITs, IIMs, and NITs, except one medical practitioner (private). Similarly, the Nandan Nilekani-led new Hi-Powered Task Force comprises former heads of ISRO and of the Intelligence Bureau, one IIT director, one former bureaucrat and one logistics expert.
Since education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution, the state governments are significant partners in decision-making. In fact, state governments bear the majority of educational expenditure, and state universities and colleges affiliated to them — both public and private — account for the majority of student enrollment. There is a sheer lack of representation of state governments in the Task Force. Moreover, many states, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal, have already raised concerns about the gradual erosion of autonomy of federal states and state universities.
Student participation
There is a growing consensus that students are not mere consumers of education. The concept of “student as partner” is not limited to the learning process. States like Kerala and a few central universities mandate student representation in decision-making bodies such as the university senate, the Academic Council and the Board of Studies. Student representation is also an integral part of Internal Quality Assurance Cells of HEIs. We need to come to terms with the emerging reality that students are demanding a stake in policymaking spaces and processes and that their voices be heard.
Public policy scholars observe that expert-led policymaking has inherent limitations. This is aptly reflected in the stated core values of the NTA, which are: “To create a system which will promote teaching (by teachers), learning (by students) and assessment (by parents and institutions). NTA strongly believes in quality, efficiency, effectiveness, equity and security of assessments.” As concerns about entrance examinations go beyond technical effectiveness, techno-expertocracy, a system where “experts” decide, poses challenges in what should be a democratic exercise.
Way forward
Any system for regulating admission to HEIs, through entrance examinations or other means, reflects how we imagine our futures. Of course, the task force represents competent experts. However, formulation of policy problems as “technical problems” and underrepresentation of states may siphon off the transformative potential of reforms. The governance of entrance examinations must be seen as a crucial academic matter, demanding wider stakeholder participation. This is particularly important as the National Education Policy 2020 envisages every university and college becoming an autonomous and self-governing entity in the near future. There is immense scope for debate — what role students can play in decision-making in higher education, and whether it is desirable.
Malish C M is an assistant professor at the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies (ADCPS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, India. Akshay C C is a doctoral scholar at the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies (ADCPS), IIT Bombay, India. Views expressed are personal
There is a growing consensus that students are not mere consumers of education. (File photo) 
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