The state JEE board will hold the entrance test for the engineering courses in the evening section of Jadavpur University this year.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the JEE board on Wednesday, board chairman Bhaskar Gupta said.

Till last year the entrance test for the 40 seats each in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering used to be conducted by the university itself.

The institute grants the BE degree to those who successfully complete the course.

Last month, the university had written to the JEE board asking it to hold the entrance test.

The board's move was dictated by an All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) circular last year.

The apex body for regulating engineering education across the country has told the state governments that entrance to any engineering course has to be conducted through a state or a national-level test.

Gupta said the entrance examination for the evening engineering programme would be held on the day the board holds the test for Joint Entrance for Lateral Entry (JELET) in May.

The JELET is for the candidates who have completed their diploma in engineering and are granted admission to the second year of the BE course in the day section.

The evening engineering programme at JU was introduced in the early 1980s to cater to engineering diploma-holders who are working.

To seek entry to the JU's evening engineering programme, which is of five-year duration, a diploma-holder has to have at least a year's job experience.

"In the first half, the exam for lateral entry would be held. The second half would be allotted to the evening engineering admission. As the eligibility criteria of the two match, a candidate can appear for both tests," said Gupta.

At the time of admission, a decision has to be made as to which of the two programmes a candidate who has cracked both tests would opt for.