Bihar is a state known for its academic prowess, brilliant and hardworking students and people who live in simplicity and think well. Maybe, Mahatma Gandhi instilled these values deep in the mindset of the people during the Champaran movement of 1917. A state which belongs to many religions, cultures and the biggest empires India has ever seen, has come a long way. From once being the melting pot of this sub-continent to being just a general passenger in the slow-moving Indian train. It still produces great IAS officers, but according to the survey of Independent states contribution in educational domains (GoI 2018-19), Bihar is lagging behind in the field of research. Not since long Bihar used to excel in research, till 2015 the doctoral courses Bihar had vast and affluent domains which have been shortened by 40% in the last few years.

Why is it happening? There are many reasons behind these disappointing numbers, however, a few of them would be: Shift in the trend of the education system, specifically in Bihar. People are interested in civil services, armed forces, government jobs, engineering or medical. Nobody wants to invest their time and money in doing a PhD. Another reason is the lack of government support. There are very few colleges offering a scholarship on any research project. The education system is constantly turning every person to just be job ready and the kind of jobs they have doesn't require the expertise of this level. Another reason that the doctoral programs Bihar have taken a toll is lack of resources. A research student needs to have access to good libraries, numerous books on the subject and advice from experienced faculty and academicians. However, the state of Bihar has so far been unable to provide any of that. Nobody should expect a student to purchase so many books, that would be asking too much.

However, there are still positives which we can take out from this scenario. The government needs to promote various doctoral programs in at least the government-affiliated colleges, they should provide scholarships, bring in good teachers, open up libraries and promote the culture of higher education in Bihar. The only way to revive the socio-economic crisis that the state is facing is to improve the education for the students of Bihar at a PhD level, to encourage research. The phd programs Bihar should be extensive and attractive to both students and their parents. There has to be an entire shift in the way the education system has been running in Bihar and the only students who are capable of bringing that change are the brilliant and hardworking students given the right amount of guidance & resources. For instance, they should support more colleges like CVRU Bihar who are providing doctoral programs as one of their flagship courses. For more information, kindly visit the official website: http://cvrubihar.ac.in/