Context:

• The article critiques the use of a lottery system for appointing college principals in Patna University, arguing that it is an arbitrary solution to a deep-rooted crisis in Bihar’s higher education sector.
• It highlights the consequences of nepotism, caste-based favoritism, political patronage, and administrative apathy.

The Crisis in Bihar’s Higher Education:

• Arbitrary appointments and the lottery system:
  • The lottery-based selection of college principals in Patna University is a superficial and flawed remedy, akin to “fixing a broken bone with a band-aid.”
  • Examples cited include mismatched appointments:
    • Chemistry professor heading an arts college.
    • History professor leading a science college.
    • Male professor appointed as principal of a women’s college.
• Quality and capacity crisis:
  • Irregularities and recruitment delays have eroded trust in the system.
  • The student-teacher ratio is alarmingly high (around 1:50 [one teacher for 50 students], and in some postgraduate departments in state-run colleges, it is 1:200-350).
  • Infrastructure collapse: For example, the state-run institutes like the BN Mandal University in Madhepura, where several departments from the social sciences and natural sciences streams reportedly share the same room.

Broader Impact on Society and Youth:

• Education as a ‘Ladder Out of Poverty’:
  • In a state like Bihar, education and migration are vital tools to escape poverty.
  • The collapse of higher education institutions affects human capital formation and state development.
• Rise of coaching centres and parallel ecosystem:
  • Youth from across Bihar flock to coaching hubs in Patna due to institutional failure.
  • There is over-reliance on informal education providers, deepening inequalities.
• Politicisation of appointments:
  • Prominent political parties of Bihar use recruitments as patronage tools.
  • The labharthi (beneficiary) mindset dominates governance, diluting citizens’ rights-based expectations from public institutions.

Way Forward - Structural Reforms and Transparent Systems:

• Learnings from other states:
  • Tamil Nadu: Has a Teacher Recruitment Board for higher education appointments.
  • Maharashtra: Framing a policy that gives 80% weightage to academic quality, research and teaching and 20% weightage to on-camera interviews to bring more transparency to the recruitment process.
• Institutional reforms needed in Bihar:
  • Specialised selection panels.
  • Independent oversight bodies.
  • Public appointment records.
  • Rotational leadership.
  • A merit-based, transparent, and accountable system — not randomisation.