After making the Aadhaar card mandatory for all candidates appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to check impersonation, the government is considering extending the requirement to other competitive examinations, Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.

Also Read Aadhaar is a must for JEE applicants

Also Read Aadhaar is a must for JEE applicants

In another exam reform proposal, the Centre is also planning to start a specialised ‘National Testing Institute’ to conduct all important examinations which are now being conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

“This [Aadhaar card requirement] is a work in progress and we will take it to other examinations also because the sanctity of examinations is very important. Aadhaar is a photo identity and a unique identity. In some States we see impersonation, which will be prevented. This is a good thing,” Mr. Javadekar told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

Aspirants seeking entry to the prestigious IITs, NITs and designated institutes, except candidates from Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir, have to write the JEE (Mains) examination in 2017 using their Aadhaar.

There has been a controversy over whether the government can mandate Aadhaar for such activity, with the Supreme Court reminding the government in September that it could not mandate the Aadhaar number for scholarship schemes.

Asked whether the government could demand possession of Aadhaar to appear for an examination, as no service or benefit was being provided, Mr. Javadekar said this was for security purposes.

“It is not about service, it is about identity. Students have their identity card of their college. It is an identity card. It is to make the process transparent,” he said.

Mr. Javadekar said the government was preparing a Cabinet note to set up a National Testing Institute to hold competitive examinations for entry into educational institutions in engineering, medical and other fields.

Here is the full transcript of the interview

Having an Aadhaar number is now mandatory to appear for JEE (Mains) 2017. Since your rationale is that it will check impersonation, do you plan to extend it to other exams too?

This is work in progress and we will take it to other modes of examination also because sanctity of examination is very important. Only three states like Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir have some problems. In these we have said any photo identity vetted by the state government can be used. Aadhaar is a photo identity and a unique identity. In some states we see impersonation that will be prevented. This is a good thing.

Should the government mandate Aadhaar mandatory? Here you are not even providing any service or benefit.

It is not about service, it is about identity. Students have their identity card of their college. It is an identity card. It is to make process transparent.

There is a perception that the CBSE is having to conduct too many exams, including JEE and NEET. Isn't this too much of a burden?

This is a problem. The CBSE has a tag of conducting quality exams. All institutes are seeking the CBSE examination. We are preparing a note for consideration of the Cabinet that there be a National Testing Institute, which is there in many countries, to become a specialised institute for all such exams.

Have you decided who will man the committee on the national educational policy?

No. We will decide within a few days. It will be an eminent educationist.

There are many pending vacancies – for instance, 13 IIMs are without directors.

All directors are chosen by the search and selection committee approved by the Visitor. All search and selection committees practically are in place now. They will advertise and conduct interviews. Meritorious people will be selected so all vacancies will be a thing of the past in a few months. I have listed all vacancies and prioritised them.

Is it not strange that institutions like JNU, Hyderabad University and IIT Madras, which have excelled in the NIRF rankings brought by this government, have had problems with the government?

Academic excellence is academic excellence. Agitation is part of democracy. You have right to protest within the constitutional framework. It has to be democratic protest but what happened unfortunately in JNU when they confined the V-C and some old professors throughout the night without food, water and mattresses was inhuman. This is not a democratic protest. I welcome all democratic protests but not undemocratic protests.

Critics have questioned appointments like the ICHR chairman – who they say lacks peer reviewed scholarly work – and the FTII head. While you talk about cutting edge research, eminent critics say your appointments themselves are not cutting edge.

Scholars can have their views, but nobody has said the appointees are not academicians. In FTII, there were students camping in the hostel for 12 years, denying genuine students their rights. They are gone and things are normal there. ICHR is also headed by an expert.