Patna, July 26: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Sunday said his government’s decision to open 211 degree colleges across the state was driven by the need to curb the large-scale migration of students pursuing higher education outside Bihar.
Addressing the News18 Diamond States Summit, Chaudhary said an interaction with Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal during a flight from Delhi highlighted the scale of student migration from the state.
“I was returning from Delhi when I met MP Ashok Mittal, who told me that his university in Jalandhar has 11,000 students from Bihar,” the chief minister said.
“I realized that such a large amount of money was going outside the state, so after forming the government, I opened 211 degree colleges in one day,” he said, adding that the government approved all pending applications for degree colleges.
Chaudhary said the Nitish Kumar-led government is committed to strengthening Bihar’s higher education infrastructure and making quality education more accessible to students within the state.
He said public interactions often reveal concerns over the shortage of teachers and the lack of live classes, and asserted that the government is working to address both issues.
“Whenever I meet people, they complain about the shortage of teachers and the lack of live classes. Our government is working to address these issues,” he said.
The chief minister’s remarks come soon after the Bihar Legislative Assembly passed the Private University Amendment Bill, 2026, which the government says is aimed at expanding higher education opportunities, encouraging private investment in the education sector and reducing the migration of students to other states.
However, the legislation has drawn criticism from opposition parties, which contend that an increase in the number of private universities could make higher education more expensive and place it beyond the reach of economically weaker students.
Several academicians and education experts have also expressed concerns that the amended law could affect the quality of higher education and increase government control over undergraduate education. They have urged the government to frame implementation policies in consultation with university professors and other stakeholders to safeguard academic standards.
The state government has maintained that the expansion of higher education institutions is intended to improve access to quality education within Bihar and reduce students’ dependence on institutions outside the state.
