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Bihar was a significant center of learning, which was home to some ofIndia's oldest universities, includingNalanda, which was established in the 5th century CE and destroyed in 1200 CE. The tradition of learning in Bihar, which had ancient roots, is believed to have been lost during the medieval period when Islamic invaders destroyed this center of knowledge.[1]
Bihar saw a revival during the later part ofBritish rule, when a university was established inPatna, along with other centers of higher education, namely thePatna Science College,Prince of Wales Medical College (now thePatna Medical College and Hospital), and theNational Institute of Technology, Patna. This early lead was lost in the post-independence period, whenBihar's politicians lost out in the race to get centers of education established in the state. National institutes of learning such asIIT,IIM,AIIMS,IISER, andNISER had good representation from Bihar. A survey byPratham[2] rated these institutes' teachings to have been better absorbed by children in Bihar than those in other states. According to the government, the out-of-school rate in the 6-14 age group was 6.3% in 2007, a significant drop from the 12.8% rate in 2006.[3]
After implementing a series of reforms and initiatives by the Bihar School Education Board (BSEB), such as conducting interviews with toppers before releasing results, the pass percentage has witnessed a significant increase. During the late colonial period, several higher-education institutions were re-established in Patna, Bihar. However, the state faced challenges in securing placements for its students in national institutes after independence for several decades.
Recently, administrative reforms in school examinations (BSEB) and changes to exam formats have coincided with notable rises in the pass percentages for Class 10 and 12. In 2020, 80.44% of students who appeared for the Class 12 BSEB examination were declared to have passed. Similarly, the pass percentage for Class 10 in the 2020 examination rose to 80.59%. To enhance the exam format, the BSEB has introduced a 50% objective (MCQ) question format in both Class 10 and 12 exams. For subjects that require practical exams, there are 35 MCQs, while theory subjects have 50 MCQs.[4]
Historically, Bihar has been a major center of learning, home to the ancient universities of Nalanda (est. 450 CE),Odantapura (est. 550 CE), andVikramashila (est. 783 CE). The Nalanda and Vikramshila universities were destroyed by the Islamic invaderBakhtiyar Khilji in 1200 CE.[1][5][6][7]
Bihar saw a revival of its education system during the later part of the British rule, whenPatna University, the seventh oldest university of the Indian subcontinent, was established in 1917. Some other centers of high learning established under British rule arePatna College (est. 1839), Bihar School of Engineering (est. 1900; now known as National Institute of Technology, Patna), Prince of Wales Medical College (est. 1925; now Patna Medical College and Hospital), Science College, Patna (est. 1928),Patna Women's College,Bihar Veterinary College (est. 1927), and Imperial Agriculture Research Institute (est. 1905; nowDr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Pusa).
The second oldest engineering college of India was established as a survey training school in 1886 and later renamed Bihar College of Engineering in 1932. Subsequently, the Indian government upgraded the Bihar College of Engineering to National Institute of Technology (NIT) status in 2004 and granted itInstitute of National Importance status in 2007, in accordance with theNational Institutes of Technology Act, 2007.
Bihar was one of the key educational hubs ofEast India before independence. In the 1960s, major educational reforms were implemented to streamline the education structure of the state by the then education minister and educationistSatender Narain Sinha. However, the changes were short-lived, as successive governments failed to implement them.[clarification needed] In 1964, theBihar School of Yoga was established inMunger.
Bihar has an underdeveloped educational infrastructure, creating a huge mismatch between demand and supply.[citation needed] This problem is further compounded by an increasing population and governance issues, especially during theLalu-Rabri era, but revived afterNitish Kumar became Chief Minister. Improved governance has led to an economic revival in the state through increased investment in infrastructure,[8] better health care facilities, greater emphasis on education, and a reduction in crime and corruption.[9] The craving for higher education among the general population of Bihar has led to a migration of the student community from the state. This has led to a "flooding" of students seeking educational opportunities in other states, such asNew Delhi andKarnataka, even for graduate-level college education. Researchers discovered that 37.8% of Bihar's teachers could not be found during unannounced visits to schools, the worst teacher absence rate in India and one of the worst in the world.[10][11] In spite of the inadequate investment in education in Bihar, its students have done well compared to other poorer Indian states.[citation needed]
The most significant contributions to education in ancient Bihar came from the Gupta and Pala dynasties, which patronized world-class universities.[12] In the 5th century CE,Kumaragupta I, a Gupta emperor, established Nalanda University, making it one of the world's earliest residential universities. Later, the Pala dynasty, known for its patronage of Nalanda, established other significant centers of learning in the region, including Vikramashila University in the 8th century CE.
In the modern era, key figures and governing bodies have significantly shaped the educational landscape of Bihar. The BritishEast India Company established Patna Collegiate School in 1835 to introduce English-style education to the region. Acharya Badrinath Verma, the first Education Minister of Bihar after India's independence, laid the foundation for the modern education system. The state government of Bihar has implemented several reform initiatives, including the Bihar Education Project and the establishment of the Bihar School Examination Board in 1952. As Chief Minister,Nitish Kumar oversaw the creation of the Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya in 2010, a state-run school renowned for its high-achieving students. In 2010, theGovernment of India revived Nalanda University as an international center of learning, preserving its rich legacy for the modern era.
| Year | Total | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 21.95 | 35.85 | 8.11 |
| 1971 | 23.17 | 35.86 | 9.86 |
| 1981 | 32.32 | 47.11 | 16.61 |
| 1991 | 37.49 | 51.37 | 21.99 |
| 2001 | 47.53 | 60.32 | 33.57 |
| 2011 | 63.82 | 73.39 | 53.33 |
| 2017 | 70.9 | 79.7 | 60.5 |
Bihar has a totalliteracy rate of70.9% in 2017.[13] The number of literate people in Bihar is 31,675,607, which includes 20,978,955 men and 10,696,652 women. The overall literacy rates are 79.7% and 60.5%, respectively. The total rural literacy rate is 69.5%, where the male and female literacy rates are 78.6% and 58.7% respectively. The total urban literacy rate is 83.1%, where the male and female literacy rates are 89.3% and 75.9% respectively. The Patna district has the highest literacy rate in Bihar (87.82%), followed byRohtas (80.36%) and Munger (78.11%).Kishanganj has the lowest literacy rate in Bihar (61.05%), followed byAraria (64.95%) andKatihar (65.46%). A recent survey by Pratham rated the receptivity of Bihari children to their teaching as being better than those in other Indian states. Authorities in Bihar have taken measures to improve female literacy, which currently stands at 60.5%. At the time when India proclaimed its independence, female literacy rates in Bihar stood at 4.22%.[citation needed]
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Since the British colonial period in India, Bihar has had a system of district schools, called Zila schools, located in the older districts of Bihar. In addition, there were private and semi-aided schools which were run and administered by local village communities. Several were known for offering higher-quality education.[citation needed]
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the state government took over management of most privately-run schools. This adversely affected education in the state, as the state government was ill-equipped to manage the schools through itsbureaucrats, who were trained for law and order duties. Though the state accorded the schools government recognition, the standard started to fall. The state did not take over the schools run by theChristian missionaries, and these schools provided a boost to quality education in Bihar.[citation needed]
As in other states, the central government runs a number ofKendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) andJawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for rural students. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, started by the late Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi, have been successful in providing quality education to the weaker sections of the society.
Following efforts made by Nitish Kumar, Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya was set up in 2010. The school has a distinction of producing high scorers of the Bihar School Examination Board.
The number of private schools, including school-chains and missionary schools run by Christian missionaries, as well asmadrasas and schools run by Muslim clerics, has increased in the post-liberalisation era.
Most of the schools in Bihar are affiliated with theBihar School Examination Board, while the Kendriya Vidyalaya and a few other elite schools, including the Christian missionary schools, are affiliated with theCBSE board. A recent survey byNational University of Educational Planning & Administration (NUEPA) has determined that only 21% of all primary school teachers in Bihar have completed the matriculation or 10th standard.[14] However, the Bihari Government has recently implemented a series of reforms in its primary education sector, which includes mandatory digitization of all state-run schools.[15]
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Bihar is home to Institutes of National Importance, includingIIT Patna,IIM Bodh Gaya,AIIMS, Patna,NIT Patna,IIIT Bhagalpur,NIPER Hajipur,Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, andNalanda University.
In 2008, Indian Institutes of Technology Patna was inaugurated[16] and the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Patna was established.[17] TheIndian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya was established in 2015. In March 2019, the government of Bihar sent a proposal to the central government to upgradeDarbhanga Medical College and Hospital into an AIIMS-like institution.[18]
Bihar is home to four central universities:Central University of South Bihar,Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, and Nalanda University. In 2015, the central government had proposed the re-establishment of Vikramshila inBhagalpur and had designated₹500 crores (₹5 billion) for it.[19] Bihar also has institutes such asNational Law University, Patna;Institute of Hotel Management (IHM);Footwear Design and Development Institute, Bihta; andCentral Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET). CIPET and IHM were established inHajipur in 1994 and 1998 respectively. In 2021, the government of Bihar establishedBihar Engineering University specially for engineering and theBihar University of Health Sciences for the medical field.
Aryabhatta Knowledge University was established under the Aryabhatta Knowledge University Act, 2008[20] with the purpose of the development and management of educational infrastructure, management, and allied professional education within the state.[21] Birla Institute of Technology, Patna was established in 2006. In 2008, Indian Institutes of Technology, Patna was inaugurated with students from all over India.[22] In 2008,NSIT opened its new college inBihta, which is now emerging as an education hub.[23][24]Chanakya National Law University andChandragupt Institute of Management were established in the later half of 2008 and now attract students from across India.Nalanda International University was established in 2014, with active investment from countries such as Japan, Korea, and China. The A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies is a premier research institute in the state.[25]
Bihar has eight medical colleges which are funded by the government, namelyPatna Medical College and Hospital;Nalanda Medical College and Hospital;Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences;Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences;Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital;Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital;Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital;Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Bhagalpur;Government Medical College, Bettiah; and five private medical colleges.[26] In 2014, the government of Bihar established theDevelopment Management Institute in Bihta, near Patna. In February 2019, deputy chief ministerSushil Modi announced the Bihar government's plan to establish 11 new medical colleges at Chhapra, Purnia, Samastipur, Begusarai, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Jhanjharpur, Siwan, Buxar, Bhojpur, and Jamui, as well as a dental college at Rahui in the Nalanda district under construction. There were also plans for constructing a cancer institute within the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences premises and the transformation of Patna Medical College and Hospital into a world-class health centre.[27]
The Bihar government runs several state-level general-purpose universities such asBhupendra Narayan Mandal University,B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University,Jai Prakash University,Lalit Narayan Mithila University,Magadh University,Patna University,Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University,Veer Kunwar Singh University,Patliputra University,Purnea University, andMunger University.Nalanda Open University[28] was established in March 1987 by the government of Bihar to impart education exclusively through distance education. Later, in 1995, the Nalanda Open University Act[29] was passed by the legislature of Bihar and thereafter came under the authority and jurisdiction of the act. Bihar has the specialized universitiesBihar Agricultural University andBihar Animal Sciences University to promote use of technology in agriculture and animal husbandry.Bihar Animal Sciences University has three constituent colleges: Bihar Veterinary College; Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology (Patna); and College of Fisheries, Kishanganj.[30] Bihar has two language-specific universities:Arabic and Persian University andDarbhanga Sanskrit University.
With institutes like Super 30, Patna has emerged as a major center for engineering andcivil services coaching. The major privateIIT-JEE coaching institutes have opened up branches in Bihar, and this has reduced the number of students who go to other states for engineering or medical coaching.[31][32][33][34]
Bihar e-Governance Services & Technologies (BeST) and the government of Bihar have initiated a unique program to establish a center of excellence called Bihar Knowledge Center, a finishing school to equip students with the latest skills and customised short-term training programs at an affordable cost. The center aims to attract the youth of the state to improve their technical, professional, and soft skills to meet the current requirements of the industrial job market.[35] The National Employability Report of Engineering Graduates, 2014,[36] puts graduates from Bihar in the top 25 percent of the country and rates Bihar as one of the top three states at producing engineering graduates in terms of quality and employability.[37]
In Bihar, one of the most populous states of India, women's education represents a complex relationship between major advancements and setbacks. The state's historical and current socioeconomic inequality greatly influences its struggling educational system, which lags behind all other states in India. The state is largely dependent on agriculture, which dwindles socioeconomic opportunities for its residents. Recently, women's education has improved as a result of government andgrassroots initiatives. However, the educational landscape in Bihar still faces major challenges including infrastructure disparities, socioeconomic limitations, cultural expectations, and the influence of societal standards.
The region's history of exploitation contributes heavily to the current suffering state of the educational system. During the British Raj, the colonial government and the localzamindars jointly focused on collecting taxes, which overshadowed the critical need for educational opportunities to allow for economic and social development. After independence from Britain, the trend of educational neglect continued, although with elected government officials in charge.[38] The choice to place revenue collection at the utmost importance ahead of comprehensive development greatly hindered access to quality education for socioeconomic opportunities. Bihar is the second poorest state in all of India.[39]
In Bihar, around 80% of the population relies on agricultural production, and over 40% of the population is considered to be below thepoverty line.[40] The state has poor levels of educational attainment and a high rate of illiteracy. Access to education is a major factor in the region's poverty. High rates of unemployment are prevalent due to the population possessing a limited skillset as a result of an inadequate education system. The poverty cycle is further perpetuated by large amounts of the population not meeting the educational requirements for higher-paying jobs.
Due to the region's historical neglect, poor infrastructure development, and economic constraints that contribute to high dropout rates, Bihar has historically low literacy rates. Despite an improvement in literacy from around 47% in 2001 to approximately 63% in 2011, the state continues to record one of the lowest literacy rates in India, standing at 74.3% as per the MoSPI PLFS 2023–24, second only toAndhra Pradesh.[41] The low literacy rate emphasizes the necessity for improvements in the education system and socioeconomic issues. The region also has a dropout rate of 83% at the secondary level of education.[42] The rarity of a child pursuing a secondary education beyond basic coursework in elementary school means that keeping children enrolled in school presents a significant obstacle.
The school system in Bihar lacks infrastructure, adequate teachers, and resources. Firstly, there is a shortage of qualified teachers. Only 55% of teachers teaching secondary school and 40% at the higher secondary level have adequate qualifications for their job.[43] Furthermore, the majority of schools are lacking in resources and infrastructure. In 2016, approximately 0.8% of schools in Bihar had access to computers.[44] In 2016, 30.7% of schools did not have library books available for students to use.[45] Additionally, around 29.4% of schools did not have a toilet available and usable.[46]
In Bihar, the education of women represents a significant problem. Issues such asgender inequality in India add an extra barrier that prevents schooling for young girls. Women's access to education is often hampered by societal and economic pressures. Around half of Biharis are literate; and there has been a 20% improvement in female literacy in the 21st century, bringing women on par with men.[47] Due to the prevalence of gender roles, a young girl is likely destined to be married off, so there are often no perceived benefits of educating her.Child marriage represents a significant issue that is extremely prevalent in Bihar. The education of a young woman is not as critical as the education of a young man, because he is expected to provide for his family. In Bihar, over 24.5% of young girls aged 7–18 drop out of secondary school.[48] It is common for young girls approaching puberty to drop out of school to focus on preparing for getting married. The struggling educational landscape in Bihar disproportionately affects woman.
Rural and impoverished areas are also more challenged by Bihar's failing education system. Urban areas have higher literacy rates than rural. Literacy rates are higher in the west and central urban areas of Bihar and the lowest in the north and east regions of the state. The southern regions lies in between.[49] The urban literacy rate 83% while the rural literacy rate is 69.5%, showing improvement.[50] Districts in rural areas tend to have a large population of impoverished Muslim communities. Rural communities are disproportionately affected by the education crisis because of the wealth disparities between rural and urban districts.
In the state's rural regions, parents understand the importance of educating their children; however, due to socio-cultural andeconomic factors, getting married or working often trumps receiving an education. In Bihar, the total number of children working more than six months a year is around 0.54 million, and there are approximately 0.58 million children who are working less than six months a year.[51]Child labour presents a significant barrier that blocks children from receiving an education. Many children do not have educational opportunities or options available to them because they must work to support their families financially.
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