NASHIK: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) that conducts National Eligibility Test (NET) for the post of assistant professors in colleges and for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of University Grants Commission (UGC) has finally allotted an NET centre in Nashik.The first NET will be conducted in Nashik in November. Nashik MP Hemant Godse was instrumental in bringing the centre to the city. Godse said he had requested HRD minister Prakash Jawadekar that Nashik deserves to be in 90 centres of NET across the country."Nashik has two central universities and one of the prominent educational centres in Maharashtra. Thousands of candidates appear for NET from the city every year. But, they had to travel up to Jalgaon, Mumbai or Pune to appear the examination," Godse said.On Tuesday, Godse's office received an official correspondence from the CBSE stating the Board has considered the request and the next examination of NET scheduled to be held on November 5 will be conducted in Nashik along with 90 other cities across the country."On behalf of UGC, the CBSE conducts NET twice a year. The examination determines eligibility for assistant professor and JRF in Indian Universities and Colleges. Earlier, Jalgaon used to be the nearest NET centre for Nashikites," said Prof Anand Oke, director of leading NET preparation institute.According to the figures available with local institutions, 11,400 plus candidates from Nashik had appeared for the last NET examination held in January 2017. They appeared from Pune, Mumbai or Jalgaon centres . However, reaching any of these three centres before 9 am from Nashik is difficult."One has to reach the centre 30 minutes prior to the examination, that means by 8.30 am. Nashik candidates had to reach these centres a day prior to ensure timely arrival. Many of them had to arrange for their accommodation. All these inconveniences before such an important examination will not be there once Nashik become a centre," Oke added.Interestingly, Nashik is one of the important centres for the State Eligibility Test (SET) in Maharashtra. Every year, over 9,000 candidates appear for the SET examination from Nashik. The city also has centre for all major competitive examinations of UPSC, MPSC, and eligibility tests including NEET, MHT CET, among others.

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