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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