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Need for Temples of Learning in Bihar

by Manish Kumar
Chennai, India

June 22, 2006

 

Bihar has a long history of organized education. Once upon a time, Bihar was a leading place in terms of higher education. Nalanda and Vikramshila University was the two most important centres for learning in India. Nalanda University being the focal point handled all branches including (Art, Architecture, Painting, Logic, Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy, Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra (Economics & Politics), Law, and Medicine, Arithmetic, Theology, Law, Metaphysics, Ethics) and housed up to 10,000 students at its peak. Students from China, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia and from all the regions of India came to Nalanda and Vikramshila uinversities to study

But at present, both Bihar and Nalanda is in ruins. State is highly deficient in the area of good technical institutions. Some institutions of higher learning like Birla Institute of Technology, (BIT, Mesra Ranchi), Xavier Labour Relation Institute (XLRI, Jamshedpur), Indian School of Mines (ISM, Dhanbad), National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT, Hatia, Ranchi), National Institute of Technology (NIT, Jamshedpur), Xavier Institute of Social Sciences (XISS, Ranchi) went to Jharkhand. Because of the lack of good technical, medical, research, and management institutions, Bihari students go to other states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka etc. The other reasons are the lack of opportunities in Bihar. Biharis are taking admission in large numbers in private engineering, medical colleges, and management institutes in South and West India.

While, we are on the need of temples of learning in Bihar, lets us see what has happened in India in the field of higher education and research after India got Independence in 1947 and then compare the statistics with Bihar. After India gained independence in 1947, her development in the field of higher education and research has increased drastically. At present (data of 2001) there are currently 268 universities, 50 deemed to be universities and 12 institutions of national importance and about 11,100 colleges established through Central and State legislation. Of the 268 universities, 18 are Central Universities and the rest State Universities.

In the field of nuclear power programme, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai and for the fundamental research in mathematics and physics the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), also at Mumbai are the autonomous institutes. These two institutes are the doing research in the frontier fields.

In Medical Sciences, to name a few, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, set up in 1956, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMR), Chandigarh, JIPMER, Pondicherry (1956), AFMC, Pune, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Tiruvananthapuram, Tata Memorial Hospital and the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai etc are carrying out teaching and research work in all areas and has evolved both as a premier teaching and research institution with extensive medical facilities.

The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), a unique institution devoted to the research, teaching and application of statistics, natural sciences and social sciences. The Headquarters of ISI is located in the northern fringe of the metropolis of Kolkata. Additionally, there are two Centres located in Delhi and Bangalore. The institute gained the status of an Institution of National Importance by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1959. (Contd. to next page)

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