Patna: Bihar’s engineering and polytechnic colleges have recorded strong placement results this year, with a total of 15,246 students getting jobs through campus recruitment drives. According to the Department of Technical Education, 4,745 students from engineering colleges and 10,501 students from polytechnic institutes have been placed in different companies. Major recruiters include well-known firms such as Cisco, HCL, Wipro, L&T, and Tata Motors, showing a growing trust in students trained in the state.
Officials say this is a clear sign of change in Bihar’s technical education system. Earlier, many students used to leave the state for better opportunities and education in other parts of India. However, the situation is now changing as engineering and polytechnic colleges have been set up in every district. Lokesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Technical Education, said this expansion has helped students access quality education closer to home and reduced the need to migrate outside the state.
He also highlighted that every engineering college in Bihar now has a “Centre of Excellence,” where teachers have received special training from IITs. According to him, this has improved the quality of teaching and learning in the state. He added that students from Bihar are now performing better in innovation-related activities, which is slowly changing the earlier negative perception about the state’s education system.
Another major reason behind the growth of technical education in Bihar is its low cost. The annual admission fee in engineering colleges is just Rs 10, and the monthly tuition fee is also Rs 10. Apart from this, students pay Rs 2,500 per year for personality development and activities, along with a Rs 500 insurance fee. For hostel students, the yearly cost is around Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500. In polytechnic colleges, the admission fee is Rs 5 and the monthly tuition fee is also Rs 5, making it one of the most affordable technical education systems in the country.
Despite the affordability and growing demand, competition remains high. Bihar’s engineering colleges have a total of 14,553 seats, out of which about 81% are filled. Polytechnic colleges have 17,243 seats, with around 93% occupancy. Nearly 2 lakh students take part in the counselling process every year, but some seats remain vacant because many students do not get their preferred branch of study. Admissions are completed in three rounds, and Bihar domicile is compulsory for government engineering colleges.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Chaudhary, who also oversees the Department of Science, Technology, and Technical Education, said the state’s focus on technical education has increased significantly in recent years. He said the department, which was strengthened after 2023 restructuring, is now working to improve both education and innovation. He added that earlier only a small number of students from each district could access technical education within Bihar, but now every district has its own institutions, helping students build careers without leaving the state.
