Mamatha Banerjee has agreed to Delhi's proposal to have a single entrance examination for engineering from 2014 rather than a year later, Union HRD Minister, Kapl Sibal said here on Thursday. Some states like Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra have already accepted the proposal to have a common Entrance Exam from 2014. Sibal said "We hope the other states will gradually follow the new system and the country will slowly move towards a new era".
WB CM Mamatha Banerjee herself promised this Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday. Mr.Sibal called on Ms.Mamatha Bamerjee at the writer's Buildings in early afternoon.
The All-India Common Entrance Test wiill do away with separate joint entrance exams for entry into engineering institutions in individual states. Delhi had originally planned to shift to a single entrance test by 2013. The deadline was extended because several state boards, including the West Bengal Council of Higher Education, have yet to establish parity in curriculum with the All-India boards like the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and CISCE (Council for Indian School Certificate Examination).
On rejecting speculation that the promised of meeting Ms.Banerjee was to bring Trinamul Congress on Board on the issue of presidential poll. Mr.Sibal claimed that, "I have discussed with Mamathaji on the future of children of this state and nothing else. She told me that by 2014 West Bengal will join the Single Test System."
Elaborating it further, he included that the Centre mooted this idea of Single Entrance Test in order to reduce the stress having to write multiple exams, lend weight to the school education system, ensuring no capitation fee and reduce the influence of coaching centres that prepare students.