TECHNICAL EDUCATION (तकनीकी शिक्षा)
Bihar, at present, has 13 universities along with 262 government colleges and 231 local body colleges affiliated
to the State Government However, the number of institutes for technical education are limited and there are
only 10 colleges for engineering and technical education. Because of lack of institutes of higher education and
learning in Bihar, thousands of students migrate from the state to other states like Delhi, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Rajasthan to pursue their college and university education. This leads to
missed opportunities for the state as a hub for higher education. As many as 25 districts out of 38 in Bihar are
educationally backward.
Govt. of India has pegged the target for GER at 30% for higher education, by 2017. This would drive massive
investments in the sector. At present, Bihar has a GER of 13%. According to an estimate, the state needs 373
general colleges (arts, science and commerce), 236 engineering colleges, 139 medical colleges, 253 education
colleges and 163 polytechnics to attain the national levels of enrolment in higher education. It is, therefore,
obvious that there is potential for newer institutes of higher learning in the state. Despite the high poverty levels
in Bihar, most of the families, even in rural areas, send their children outside of Bihar for higher education and
bear the additional financial burden of outstation travel and accommodation. Hence, if more institutes come up
in the state, there would be enough demand for them to flourish. The education sector would also help in
employment generation in the state as most of the higher education institutes would result in establishment of
19
educational townships with facilitation of daily needs of its residents. Hence, there would be creation of many
opportunities for small business owners and young entrepreneurs.