Bihar govt plans higher education reforms; new university law under consideration
A high-level meeting on higher education reforms was held at Lok Bhawan on Friday under the chairmanship of Governor-General Syed Ata Hasnain. The meeting focused on improving academic quality, strengthening management, promoting research and accelerating digital reforms in Bihar universities.Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhry and Higher Education Minister Sanjay Singh also participated in the discussion.One of the major decisions taken during the meeting was the proposal to draft a new universities law for Bihar.Officials said the proposed legislation would incorporate best practices from central universities and other state universities.The proposed framework, prepared after a review of university laws in 15 states, aims to create a simpler, more transparent and modern regulatory system for higher education institutions in Bihar.To encourage research and innovation, consensus was reached on several new initiatives, including the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Chief Minister’s Research Grant Scheme and the Chief Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme.The proposals aim to strengthen the research culture and provide financial support to academics and researchers.The meeting reviewed the implementation of Samarth digital platform in state universities.Admissions have been made through the portal.The governor directed the universities to implement all 26 modules of the Samarth system by December 31, 2026.The modules cover admissions, academic management, staff services, finance and accounting, and administrative functions.The move is aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and digital governance.The relevant person in charge of the meeting informed that 211 new government degree colleges are implementing centralized recruitment of contract assistant professors.The goal is to ensure merit-based selection of qualified teachers and to improve academic standards in higher education institutions.Government plans to make teacher development mandatory.Every higher education institution is required to organize at least one faculty development program every year.Teacher training centers established at Patna University and Muzaffarpur University under the ‘Madan Mohan Malaviya Teacher Training Scheme’ are also being strengthened.The meeting reviewed the efforts of Bihar universities in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.Officials said the academic curriculum is being redesigned as per national standards and the syllabus for 43 postgraduate subjects is expected to be approved by the first week of July.The implementation of digital initiatives such as INFLIBNET, APAAR and the National Academic Repository is also regularly monitored.The meeting discussed the timetable for transfers and promotions of teachers and university staff.It was decided at the meeting that routine transfers would normally only take place during June.Transfers outside the designated period require special circumstances and prior approval from the principal.This policy is designed to ensure administrative discipline and standardization.A proposal to establish a dedicated principal’s library for researchers and teachers was also discussed.The proposed facility will provide access to research materials, academic resources and reference materials.Governor Syed Ata Hasnain noted that the coordinated implementation of these measures will significantly enhance transparency, accountability, digital governance, academic quality and student-centric management of Bihar universities.Senior officials present at the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Deepak Kumar, Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh, Director Higher Education Prof NK Agrawal and officials of the Raj Bhavan Secretariat.
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