Bihar’s revival as an educational centre is gaining momentum once again. Students from private Indian universities are now bagging reputed jobs and these universities are considered at par with historic educational centres like Nalanda and Vikramshila.
Bihar has been home to some of the most prestigious colleges in its history, such as Science College and BN College. However, due to various reasons, the quality of higher education has declined over time. However, in recent years, things have improved rapidly and many private colleges have come up to provide a standard of education that has made Bihar famous globally.
An example worth mentioning is Sasaram-based Gopal Narayan Singh University (GNSU). GNSU alumni hold high-ranking positions in multinational companies like Amazon, Flipkart and HDFC Bank. Snigdha Tripathi, a process associate at Amazon, in conversation with India Today said, “GNS University broadens your horizons and enhances every experience here. You will always find support to advance your career path.”
Shubham Kumar, Deputy Manager, HDFC Bank, is also a GNSU alumnus. GNSU offers world-class education ranging from medical to paramedical, nursing to pharmacy, agricultural sciences to law, journalism, mass communication to information technology, commerce and even library science and business administration. The university has partnered with institutes across the world to bring state-of-the-art research facilities in Bihar as per the numerous MoUs they have signed.
Trivikram Narayan Singh, chancellor of Gopal Narayan Singh University, said, “Bihar was once a global education hub. People from far-flung lands came to study at Nalanda and Vikramshila universities. Education was synonymous with Bihar. Even today, students from Bihar shine in all fields but unfortunately, they are often forced to migrate to big cities like Delhi and Mumbai for their studies. Our aim is to bring top-notch education here in Bihar and the university is committed to doing all it can to achieve this goal.”
The university is also working to address unemployment in Bihar by promoting entrepreneurship. To support startups, GNSU has set up an incubation center where they can get the training, mentorship and resources they need to grow into large businesses.
“Sasaram is a rice-growing region of Bihar and there is a lot of agricultural activity going on. Introducing modern technologies like the Internet of Things into the agriculture sector will be a game changer. This will strengthen local businesses and help farmers. There is also huge potential in areas like waste management, historical tourism and healthcare,” explains Govind Narayan Singh, the university’s executive director, adding that they are working with students to come up with new business models.
