New Delhi : Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has urged newly appointed assistant professors to ensure at least 75 per cent attendance of students in colleges, saying the government’s efforts to expand higher education would not yield results if students did not attend classes regularly.
Addressing a gathering of newly appointed assistant professors, CM Choudhary said the state government had opened 211 degree colleges and appointed 2,451 assistant professors, describing the expansion of higher education infrastructure as a major achievement.
He said the newly appointed teachers would play a key role in strengthening the academic ecosystem of the new colleges, particularly those located in rural areas and ensuring that students make full use of the facilities being created by the government.
“Until children come and study in your colleges, the importance of that college will not be realised. Ensure that 75 per cent of students attend your college under all circumstances so that you can teach them,” CM Choudhary said.
He said students from Bihar were still travelling to cities such as Kota, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru for higher education and competitive examination preparation.
Citing examples of students studying outside the state, the Chief Minister said around 11,000 students from Bihar were studying at Lovely Professional University, while another institute in had more than 40,000 students from Bihar.
“Today, around 8 to 10 lakh children from Bihar are still going outside the state to study,” he said, adding that the expansion of degree colleges would provide students an opportunity to pursue higher education closer to their homes.
CM Choudhary also said the government would identify 10 good international institutions and facilitate direct interaction between Bihar’s teachers and those institutions.
He suggested that 100 teachers be identified and sent abroad for one-month courses to expose them to international standards of education.
“One era saw us compromise quality with quantity. Now we have to take quality and quantity together,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government would build college infrastructure, but the future of the institutions would depend on teachers and their efforts to improve the quality of education.
He said Bihar spends more than 21 per cent of its budget in the education sector, covering primary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges.
CM Choudhary also highlighted the government’s efforts to reduce the need for students to travel outside Bihar for education and said the state must compete with private universities by becoming a partner in building the future of its students.
“Once Bihar picks up speed, we believe Bihar will return to the world map because history belongs to us,” he said.
He urged the newly appointed assistant professors to work towards changing Bihar’s education system and shaping the future of the students who would study in the 211 new degree colleges.
