Kolkata: West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, on Sunday urged the National Testing Agency, NTA to change the schedule of the UGC-NET exams that coincides with the Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal.
“Durga puja is the biggest festival in Bengal. It is a national festival. How can they fix the date on the day of puja? We voice our objection. We will write to the NTA to change the schedule that clash with the Puja,” he told the reporters.
Taking a jibe at the BJP, the minister said it was ironic that those who are always enthusiastic about pujas are indifferent towards the biggest social and religious festival of Bengal.
The National Eligibility Test (NET) exams will be held in phases this year from September 24 to November 5. Some exams are scheduled from October 21 to 23 which coincides with the five-day Durga Puja that begins on October 22 with Mahasasthi, as per India TV News.
The UGC-NET examinations for subjects such as Geography, Language Education and Bengali will be held between October 21 and 23, according to the schedule released by NTA.
National Eligibility Test is conducted twice a year to determine the eligibility for the post of assistant professor and junior research fellowship in the universities and colleges.