Patna: The Bihar government is preparing to start undergraduate classes in senior secondary school buildings as a temporary arrangement until new degree college campuses are constructed across the state. The move follows Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s announcement to establish degree colleges in 213 blocks that currently lack any higher education institution.
According to officials in the higher education department, preparations are being carried out at a rapid pace to ensure classes can begin from July 2026, the start of the academic session. Separate schedules are expected for school and college students, and faculty members will be deputed to teach undergraduate courses. Recognition for the new colleges will be sought from the state’s universities, and all institutions will be set up as constituent degree colleges.
The initiative is part of the state government’s flagship programme, Advanced Education – Bright Future, under the broader Seven Resolves agenda. A senior official said the policy aims to improve access to higher education, particularly for female students in rural and semi-urban areas, where travel to distant colleges remains a major barrier.
Out of Bihar’s 534 administrative blocks, 213 currently have no constituent or affiliated degree college. The government has directed that new institutions be opened in all these blocks in the first phase. Land acquisition for permanent campuses is already underway, with several sites identified, and education minister Sunil Kumar has held high-level meetings to accelerate the process.
The state budget includes a separate allocation for establishing the new colleges, alongside funding to upgrade 55 higher education institutions as centres of excellence. Officials estimate that around Rs 10,000 crore will be spent on higher education initiatives, including plans to introduce vocational departments with dedicated faculty. The new colleges are expected to offer full programmes in science, arts and commerce, marking a significant expansion of Bihar’s higher education infrastructure.
