V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said technology alone cannot prevent examination paper leaks if the individuals setting the questions are compromised [1].

This assessment comes as India grapples with recurring security breaches in high-stakes testing. The failure to secure exams like NEET has eroded student confidence in the National Testing Agency (NTA) and prompted the formation of a high-powered task force led by Nandan Nilekani [1].

Kamakoti, a member of that task force, said that the human element remains the primary vulnerability in the examination process. He said that while encryption and digital safeguards are useful, they are ineffective against a person with authorized access who chooses to leak content [2].

"Question paper setters are the root of trust," Kamakoti said [3].

To address these systemic failures, Kamakoti outlined the need for a tiered reform strategy for the NTA. This approach involves short, medium, and long-term changes designed to rebuild the integrity of the testing process [1].

Central to these reforms is the move toward more transparent evaluation methods. Kamakoti said that restoring the faith of millions of students requires a system where the process is open and verifiable, rather than relying solely on technical barriers that can be bypassed by insiders [1].

"Technology alone cannot stop a rogue paper setter," Kamakoti said [2].

The task force is currently evaluating how to restructure the NTA to minimize these risks. The goal is to create a framework where the reliability of the exam does not depend on the honesty of a few individuals, but on a robust, transparent system of checks and balances [1].

“Question paper setters are the root of trust.”

The shift in focus from technical encryption to human vetting suggests that the NTA's previous failures were not due to a lack of software, but a failure of institutional trust. By identifying paper setters as the 'root of trust,' the task force indicates that future reforms will likely prioritize stricter vetting, legal accountability, and systemic transparency over simple digital upgrades.