India, July 26 -- The wholesale sacking of people at the National Testing Agency (NTA), the announcement of the creation of four senior specialised positions - covering testing, test network management, cybersecurity, and vigilance - and the creation of a high-powered task force headed by Nandan Nilekani is, for starters, admission that the organisation expected to conduct many kinds of college admission tests isn't equipped to do so. It is also an indication that things are now moving in the right direction - although much will depend on the kind of people the agency is able to attract for the positions it hopes to fill.

That the Union government decided to centralise testing without having the ability to do so, and in the face of oppos...