Patna: Barely a month after taking charge, education minister Mithilesh Tiwari has identified mounting litigation, inadequate funding, poor learning outcomes, student dropouts and infrastructure deficiencies as the key challenges facing Bihar’s education system.With nearly 1.75 crore students enrolled in around 76,000 govt schools, Mithilesh said long-pending structural issues must be addressed alongside efforts to improve educational quality.“The biggest reason is funds. Until our internal resources increase, many things remain difficult,” he said, highlighting financial constraints on school modernisation and infrastructure development.To mobilise additional resources, the education department plans to launch “Hamara Vidyalaya, Hamara Swabhiman”, an initiative aimed at encouraging alumni, local communities and private stakeholders to contribute to school development. The department is also exploring public-private partnership models.Mithilesh described litigation as a major administrative challenge, revealing that more than 10,000 education-related cases are pending in courts.“There are more than 10,000 pending cases. Part of a teacher’s attention remains on the litigation, and part remains on the school. This affects education,” he said.The minister said the department has started reviewing old cases under Bihar’s litigation policy, particularly matters pending for several years. Cases involving issues already settled by courts may be resolved using existing legal precedents.Along with litigation, Mithilesh highlighted weak foundational learning, high dropout rates after middle school and inadequate infrastructure as major concerns requiring urgent attention.Full interview, P2
