From Nalanda to Nowhere The Great Betrayal of Bihar’s Youth

Bihar, once the land of Nalanda and Vikramshila – the world’s greatest universities – now watches its own children leave in search of education. The classrooms that once drew scholars from across Asia have been replaced by images of overcrowded trains carrying students to Delhi, Pune, or Bengaluru. This migration is not out of desire but out of compulsion, the result of decades of political neglect and preference to short-term politics over long-term investment in education. With crumbling institutions and no real opportunities at home, migration has become the only path to a better future, a powerful reminder of how far the state has drifted from its proud legacy of learning.

From a Glorious Past to a Failing Present

To truly understand the depth of Bihar’s current crisis, one must first appreciate the incredible heights from which it has fallen. The ancient universities of Magadha were not small religious schools, they were massive, state-funded international institutions that set the global standard for higher learning.

Nalanda (the World’s First Great University): For nearly 800 years, starting around 427 CE, Nalanda was the world’s premier residential university. At its zenith, it was a bustling academic city, home to an estimated 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. Its curriculum was astonishingly comprehensive, covering not just Buddhist philosophy but also secular subjects like medicine, mathematics, astronomy, logic, and the Vedas. This holistic approach attracted scholars from as far away as China, Korea, Japan, and Tibet, who travelled for months, even years, to study there. The university was sustained by the generous support of emperors who understood that knowledge was the bedrock of a powerful and respected civilization.

Vikramshila (a Centre for Specialised Learning): Founded in the late 8th century by King Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty, Vikramshila was established near modern-day Bhagalpur to complement Nalanda. It quickly developed its own unique identity, becoming a world-renowned centre for the Tantric school of Buddhism. The university’s library was an engineering masterpiece, featuring a water-based cooling system to protect its vast collection of priceless and fragile manuscripts from the heat. Vikramshila played a crucial role in shaping the culture of Tibet, producing legendary scholars like AtishaDipankara, who was instrumental in spreading Buddhism across the Himalayas.

These institutions were part of a thriving ecosystem of knowledge, supported by a political class that saw higher education as a strategic priority. This historical model of governance, which attracted the world’s talents to Bihar, stands in tragic and stark contrast to the current political reality, which forces Bihar’s own talents to leave.

The decline of Bihar’s higher education system is not just a feeling; it is a harsh reality proven by cold, hard numbers. A detailed look at the data reveals a system that is failing on every important measure, from access and infrastructure to the quality of teaching itself.

Not Enough Seats in Colleges

The most basic measure of educational access is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which tells us what percentage of young people between the ages of 18 and 23 years are actually enrolled in higher education. In this area, Bihar is at the very bottom. In 2021-22, Bihar’s GER was shockingly low – 17.1%, far behind the national average of 28.4%.

This gap becomes a chasm when compared to the states where Bihar’s students are forced to migrate. The numbers tell a story of deeply unequal opportunity.

(Source:MinistryofEducation,CEICData, 2021)

This data means that young persons in Delhi or Chandigarh are roughly three to four times more likely to be attending colleges than their counterparts in Bihar. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a closed door for millions of young Biharis, forcing them to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Old Buildings and Missing Labs

The reason for the low GER is simple: there are not nearly enough quality colleges to serve Bihar’s massive young population. This has created a terrible paradox of classrooms that are both overcrowded and academically empty.

Source: All India Survey on Higher Education(AISHE) 2021-22)

With just 7 colleges for every one lakh eligible people, Bihar’s institutional density is less than a quarter of the national average and a fraction of a progressive state like Karnataka. This forces an enormous number of students – an average of 2,088 per college – into the few available institutions. This is nearly three times the national average of 789 students per college, putting an unbearable strain on already crumbling resources.

The condition of these overcrowded colleges is often appalling. Surveys have found that 21% of institutions in Bihar have no laboratories, and a shocking 44% of colleges do not have computer centres. Basic facilities that are essential for a modern learning environment, like cafeterias or even separate, clean restrooms for female students, are often missing or in a state of disrepair. An agency, the BSEIDC, was created in 2010 to fix this, but the problems persist, showing that the efforts have been too little, too late.

A Shortage of Teachers

The crisis in physical infrastructure is matched by a crisis in human capital. Bihar’s colleges and universities are plagued by a severe and chronic shortage of qualified teachers, leading to one of the worst Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) in the country. Data from 2019-20 revealed a PTR of approximately 58 students for every one teacher in higher education. This is more than double the all-India average of 23:1 and is a clear sign of deep neglect, especially when compared to recent improvements made at the school level in Bihar. To fill the gaps, the system relies heavily on “guest faculty”. These teachers, while qualified, are treated poorly. They are paid a meagre honorarium of ₹1,500 per class, with their monthly income capped and paid for only 11 months a year, leaving them in a constant state of insecurity. When the government does try to hire permanent teachers, the process is painfully slow, leaving hundreds of guest lecturers in limbo and leading to protests that disrupt the academic calendar.

Missing from the National Rankings

The ultimate proof of this systemic failure is Bihar’s complete absence from national rankings of excellence. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is the Indian government’s official tool for assessing the quality of universities. An analysis of the 2024 rankings paints a bleak picture. In the top 200 universities, not a single state-run university from Bihar is present. The only institution from the state to make the list is a centrally funded agricultural university.

This pattern holds true across all fields. In engineering, only the centrally managed IIT Patna and NIT Patna appear on the list; the state’s own engineering colleges are nowhere to be found.

Politics is the Problem

The deep-rooted crisis in Bihar’s higher education is not an accident. It is the direct outcome of deliberate political choices made over many decades. The state’s political conversation has been dominated by a short-sighted focus on winning elections by mobilising voters based on their caste and religious identities, while ignoring the substantive, long-term work of building a better future. In this political game, the complex, generational challenge of fixing the education system is always pushed to the side.

Elections in Bihar are, first and foremost, about caste arithmetic. The main strategies of all major political parties revolve around consolidating their core vote banks, such as the Muslim-Yadav (M-Y) combination, Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Mahadalits, and upper castes. As a result, election campaigns are filled with talk of caste, religion, and reservations, leaving no room for a serious debate on the quality of universities. While unemployment is often mentioned, it is usually framed as a problem that can be solved by simply promising a certain number of government jobs. The crucial connection that you cannot have sustainable employment without a skilled workforce produced by a good education system is almost never made.

The Budget Shell Game

The state government often defends itself by pointing to its large education budget. For the 2025-26 fiscal year, the total budget for “Education, Sports, Arts, and Culture” was an impressive ₹63,335 crore. However, a closer look reveals a deceptive trick that systematically starves higher education.

(Source:BiharBudget Analysis2025-26,PRS India)

The data for 2025-26 is revealing. Of the massive ₹63,335 crore allocated to the broadeducation sector, a tiny ₹5,584 crore – just 8.8% – was actually set aside for universities. This allows politicians to claim they are prioritising education, while the vast majority of the money goes to school education, which has a much larger and more politically important voter base.

This problem is made worse by shocking financial mismanagement. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its 2023-24 report, revealed that the Bihar Education Department had failed to provide official proof of how a colossal ₹12,623.67 crore was spent. This lack of accountability means there is no guarantee the money was used for its intended purpose and points to a high risk of corruption and misuse of funds.

A Strategy That Fuels Migration

The government’s main policy for higher education, the Bihar Student Credit Card (BSCC) Scheme, has ironically made the brain drain worse. The scheme offers education loans of up to ₹4 lakh to students who have passed the 12th grade. While the goal is to help students afford college, in a state with almost no good colleges, the practical effect is that it finances their migration to other states. The BSCC has become a state-sponsored subsidy for students to pay fees to universities in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Delhi. In a tragic irony, Bihar’s own treasury is funding the flight of its best and brightest, a policy that treats a symptom (inability to pay fees) while making the underlying disease (lack of quality local colleges) even worse.

Why Ambitious Students Feel They Must Leave Bihar

• Census data shows about 121,765 people moved out of Bihar for education between 2001 and 2011 – highlighting this as an ongoing trend, (CEIC Data).
• Big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru offer top-ranked universities, modern facilities, courses aligned with industry needs, and better chances for jobs after graduation.
• Bihar loses its best and brightest to other states. That means the money families spend on education boosts economies elsewhere instead of home.
• This migration pattern deepens Bihar’s own problems, it loses human capital and faces an even harder time building quality institutions.
• Crumbling infrastructure, a lack of quality teachers, outdated curricula, and absence of vibrant research or academic environments that prepare students for modern jobs.
• A degree from a lesser-known local college often seems like a risky bet – sometimes leading to joblessness.
• Despite the higher cost of living and tuition in big cities, families see migration as an investment, yielding better education, job opportunities, and higher future earnings.

[Abdul Quadir is Ph.D. Research Scholar (SRF), Department of Social Work, UGC Centre for Advanced Study, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi]