Kolkata: The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations will be held on February 2, well ahead of the Higher Secondary Examinations next year. This was decided at a meeting of the Higher Education Council on Tuesday at Bikash Bhavan that was chaired by state Education minister Partha Chatterjee.
"This year, the state Joint Entrance Examinations was held on April 19. In 2020, the examination will be held on February 2, two and half months earlier," said Malayendu Saha, chairman of West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB).
The results of the examination will also be published well in advance of the publication of results of Higher Secondary Examinations.
There had been meetings earlier to elicit opinion from the engineering institutions across the state on bringing forward the dates of holding and publication of results of West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations in the state.
More than 40 percent seats in the engineering colleges across the state have remained vacant this year, as many of the students have migrated to institutions located outside the state, with the state JEE examination being held and results published much later than similar examinations in other states.
Professors from noted engineering institutions including Jadavpur University have also proposed that the Joint Entrance Examination should be held in February-March and results should be published in April-May, ahead of the results of state Higher Secondary Examinations.
The Association of Professional Academic Institutions (APAI) - the sole representative of all the self-financed Engineering and Technological institutions in Bengal, has strongly advocated advancement of dates for state JEE as well.