No Exam Venue for NET in Gourbanga University, 20 thousand candidates rely on Kolkata or Siliguri

There is no SSC and initial recruitment exam every year. However, the NET exam for the appointment of professors is conducted twice a year. But the main problem of Malda along with Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur Districts examinees is that there is no permanent NET center in Gourbanga University. Malda and Murshidabad district were kept as NET centers for two years, but now they have to rush to Siliguri or Kolkata to take the exam. As a result, the candidates have to pay a lot of money from train reservation along with hotel rent. Poor examinees are facing more problems in this. In this situation, the candidates of three districts have applied to take the NET exam in Gourbanga University. Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar has assured to look into the matter.

Abhijit Dasgupta, a NET examinee from Malda, said, 'I have been giving NET since three years. I could not attend at least two or three of these exams. Because the seat was in the center of Kolkata. Once the center showed up in Murshidabad, then the center in Kolkata came for admission. There would not have been so much suffering if the center was in Malda.

Hotel rent is a big problem for female candidates if they get seats in Siliguri and Kolkata. Sista Roy, a student of Raiganj, told about that problem. He said, 'When the date of the NET comes, I have to go to spend a lot of money. There would not have been so many problems if the center was in Malda. However, since the Member of Parliament from Balurghat has become the Union Minister of State for Education. We demand that the test center for NET should be set up in Gourbanga University.

A candidate from Balurghat Sauvik Sarkar also made the same claim. He said, "Going from Balurghat to Calcutta or Siliguri to take the exam is very expensive. Many of my friends cannot go for the exam due to lack of money. A permanent center should be opened in Malda soon."

Union Minister of State(Education) Sukant Majumder said, "We will look into the matter." There needs to be infrastructure everywhere. If you rush in this case, the confidentiality of the question paper is often not respected. So without haste we need to build the infrastructure and arrange testing in this region. Arrangements must be made so that the students of this region also have the opportunity to give NET. We are talking to various management institutes. It should also be seen whether they are willing to accept this decision or not.

About 15-20 thousand candidates sit for the NET exam every year from three districts of Gourbanga. Even a couple of years ago, its tests were conducted in Kolkata, Murshidabad, Malda and Siliguri. The examinees of Malda and two Dinajpur districts were benefited to some extent. But since 2022 no more testing centers have been set up in Gourbanga. Not only Gourbanga but also Murshidabad is not being centred. Now the exam is being conducted in Kolkata and Siliguri. Exam center in Malda will benefit both Dinajpur and Malda district candidates.