Patna: Bihar’s private tutoring and small-scale coaching sector has emerged as a significant source of employment and income, with the industry estimated to generate more than Rs 1,100 crore in monthly revenue.
More than 5.5 lakh people in the state are engaged in teaching through home tuition and small coaching centres, placing Bihar third nationally in e-Shram registrations associated with the coaching industry.
The figures relate primarily to the unorganised sector, including individuals who teach students at home or conduct classes for small groups. They do not include major formal coaching institutes operating across the state.
Bihar ranks third nationally
According to e-Shram registration data, more than 54.03 lakh people associated with the coaching sector have registered nationally.
Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 18.31 lakh registrations, followed by West Bengal with 6.71 lakh. Bihar ranks third with 5.55 lakh registered workers.
Madhya Pradesh and Kerala occupy the fourth and fifth positions, with 2.41 lakh and 1.97 lakh registrations, respectively.
Nationally, women account for 63% of registered workers in the sector, compared with 37% men.
In Bihar, however, the gender distribution is almost even, with 49% women and 51% men among registered workers.
Young people dominate the sector
The coaching and private tutoring workforce in Bihar is overwhelmingly young.
People aged 18 to 40 account for 90.77% of those registered in the sector. Those aged 40 to 50 constitute 5.30%, while people above 50 account for 3.68%.
The data indicates that private tutoring and small-scale coaching have become an important livelihood option for young people across the state.
How the Rs 1,100 crore estimate is calculated
Home tutors in rural areas reportedly charge around Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per student, while fees in urban areas range from approximately Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000.
At an average fee of Rs 5,000 per student, a tutor teaching four students could earn around Rs 20,000 a month.
Applying this average to the 5.55 lakh registered workers results in estimated monthly earnings of more than Rs 1,100 crore for the small-scale coaching and home-tutoring segment.
The estimate does not include the state’s large formal coaching institutes, which prepare students for examinations such as NEET, JEE, UPSC, BPSC, SSC, railway and banking examinations. These institutes operate on a substantially larger scale, with some generating annual revenues running into thousands of crores.
Patna leads Bihar’s districts
Patna has the highest number of registered people associated with the coaching sector in Bihar, with 49,853 registrations.
Other districts with significant numbers include:
| District | Registered workers |
| Muzaffarpur | 29,806 |
| Madhubani | 25,408 |
| Darbhanga | 24,682 |
| Gaya | 23,853 |
| Samastipur | 23,494 |
| Saran | 21,750 |
| Bhagalpur | 19,608 |
The data highlights the widespread nature of private tutoring and small-scale coaching across Bihar, extending well beyond the state capital.
The registration of workers from the sector on the e-Shram portal, which has been accepting registrations from unorganised-sector workers since August 24, 2021, provides an indication of the scale of an industry that largely operates outside the formal coaching-institute structure.
