Bihar Universities: NO campus yet made for state-government-run universities; despite 5 years of its foundation

On March 18, three newly established state-run universities in Bihar—Patliputra, Purnea, and Munger—celebrated the fifth anniversary of their founding on temporary campuses. None of them possess their own structures.

The three aforementioned universities were founded by the Bihar government in March 2018 to satisfy regional needs, relieve pressure on already-existing institutions, and raise the state’s net enrollment ratio (GER) for higher education.

However, Patliputra University, Purnea University, and Munger University students are also experiencing academic session delays because of shortages in educators and other problems with administration, much as students at the other 14 state universities.

All three Bihar universities operate from temporary offices in institutions that are associated with them because they lack their own campuses. Teachers estimate that it would be a further five years until they have permanent campuses, despite the state authorities having allocated land.

Even access to water, sanitary facilities, and well furnished classrooms, according to students and teachers. Online admission and exam portals that are connected to official websites frequently experience technical difficulties, costing students money through payment gateway failures.

Bihar state universities plan to launch the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) in the forthcoming academic year despite their overburdened infrastructures.

Delays in land grants

The Times of India and Hindustan both reported that Munger University has received 120 acres for a new campus. 37 acres next to the Patliputra University and Purnea Aerodrome, as well as 10 acres close to the Bakhtiyarpur Engineering College in Patna, have been given to Purnea University. The covid epidemic had an impact on the university’s momentum, according to Ranjeet Verma, the former and founding vice chancellor of Munger University. The university initially received major support from the state government.

Bihar’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER)

With these three new universities operating, Bihar’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) has improved. Bihar has over 1,800 students enrolled in each college on average. The GER measures the proportion of students enrolled to the total number of students of college-age. In India, the 18–23 age range is used to compute GER. It is still well below the national average, though. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), Bihar’s GER increased from 11.6% in 2018–19 to 15.9% in 2020–21. At the federal level, the GER is 27.3%. By the end of 2030, Bihar wants to achieve a GER of 30%. The national average is 31 and there are eight colleges per lakh people in the 18- to 23-year-old age bracket.

According to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, four-year undergraduate programmes will be offered at all state universities in Bihar starting with the 2023–24 academic year.

Bihar University: Issues with administration

In their interactions with university administrations, students must overcome several obstacles. “The university’s website cannot be maintained since there is insufficient infrastructure. We pay fees in order to obtain entrance, but when the site doesn’t work as expected, we keep paying fees in the hopes that the extra money would be reimbursed. However, the university does not grant any refunds, according to Kishan Kaushik, a Patliputra University BSc final-year student. Processes for verifying documents are also rife with issues.

228 colleges and 3 universities in Bihar

Over 220 colleges that were once linked with different universities are now under the collective control of the three universities. Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University (BNMU), Madhepura, was divided into Purnea University, which now has 32 affiliated colleges in addition to its 15 component colleges. It will launch 58 courses and features 22 academic areas. It currently conducts business from the Purnea College campus, which is a member.

Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU), located in Bhagalpur, was split into Munger University. It is currently operating out of the DJ College and RD College campuses in Munger. There are 20 departments. Currently, the Munger College is home to 17 component institutions, 17 associated colleges, 5 individual staff education colleges, and 1 affiliated law college.

Magadh University has been split into Patliputra University, Patna, which is currently operating from a temporary campus in Kankarbagh, Patna. It now has jurisdiction over all institutions in the Patna and Nalanda regions that are not connected with Patna University. It currently has 15 departments and plans to add 30 more. The university contains 110 associated institutions, 26 constituent colleges, two colleges for women, and three colleges for underrepresented groups.