How Bihar Engineering University is powering through violence, floods, placement woes

“It started with a small misunderstanding, but quickly turned into something much bigger,” a professor said, requesting anonymity, about a spate of violence at Bhagalpur College of Engineering (BEU), in January. “Students grouped themselves, and within no time it became a clash between two ‘phylums’ [groups]. That is the reality we deal with.”

Bhagalpur College of Engineering happens to be one of the oldest and best-known technical schools in the state, is one of 38 colleges affiliated to the relatively-new Bihar Engineering University. Established in 2021 at Patna by the Bihar government, BEU brought all engineering colleges in the state under a single administrative and academic structure.

The move was aimed at standardising technical education, ensuring uniform curricula, and improving academic quality across Bihar. However, as teachers point out, the process of unifying such a diverse network comes with its own challenges. Bhagalpur experiences flooding during the rains; conflict between students is frequent and placements are a concern across the board.

BEU Patna: BTech education growth

The story of BEU is closely linked to the fast growth of engineering education in the state over the past 20 years. Earlier, Bihar had only a few established institutions, including Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology, founded in 1954, and Bhagalpur College of Engineering, established in 1960.

Around 2008, the state government began aggressively expanding the number of engineering colleges. “Every year, one or two colleges were added,” a teacher said. By 2018, the number had grown significantly, and in 2019, a major push led to the inauguration of 19 new institutions.

Today, Bihar has 38 government engineering colleges, fulfilling the policy of having one engineering college in every district. These colleges now function under BEU.

Among them are institutions such as Darbhanga College of Engineering, Gaya College of Engineering, Nalanda College of Engineering, Sitamarhi Institute of Technology, Katihar Engineering College, Purnea College of Engineering, Saharsa College of Engineering and Motihari College of Engineering, along with colleges in Banka, Jamui, Siwan, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Munger and Begusarai districts.

Teachers say the academic foundations of these colleges are strong. “This is a very good college in terms of engineering,” a professor of Bhagalpur College of Engineering said. “Students from these institutions have performed well in competitive examinations such as GATE, reflecting the quality of teaching and curriculum,” he added.

At the same time, teachers say that the nature of student engagement has changed. “We cannot be as strict with students as teachers used to be earlier,” a professor said.

BTech Engineering: New colleges in Bihar

Many of the newer colleges, however, are still evolving. “The campuses of new engineering colleges are small,” a teacher said, pointing to space constraints and developing infrastructure at GEC Sheikhpura which doesn’t have sufficient hostels.

But at Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar College of Engineering in Begusarai, a faculty member highlighted a different concern. “Infrastructure or faculty-related issues are not there,” he said, “but the problem is placement. Companies do not come.” The college currently offers only undergraduate engineering programmes, which limits exposure and industry interaction. “Until industry linkages improve, students will continue to face challenges,” he added.

However, there are signs of growth in some. At Government Engineering College Siwan, a professor expressed optimism. “The college is well equipped,” he said. “We were offering only undergraduate programmes till now, but we have applied for starting postgraduate courses. We expect approval soon, and from next year we may begin offering MTech courses.”

Across the BEU system, placement remains a broader concern. Transition from classroom learning to industry employment is not always smooth. Faculty members feel that stronger government support and industry partnerships will be key to improving this aspect. “The government should also help students get placed in jobs,” a teacher said.

BEU Colleges: Violence at events

Established colleges have their own share of problems.

Mostly unfamiliar outside the state, the “phylum” system is informal grouping of college students, often along lines of caste and community. A phylum – the term comes from the classification of species in biology – may organise its own events. The fight at Bhagalpur College of Engineering broke out at such an event.

What began as a misunderstanding between a few students soon spiralled into a conflict between groups. “When one student is involved, others from the same phylum step in. Then it is no longer a personal issue,” the professor explained. The situation led to unrest on campus, and several students were eventually suspended.

“The recent violence and protests…were not an isolated incident but a reflection of deeper social divisions that exist within campuses,” said a professor. “These are groups formed along caste and category lines. Loyalty to these groups runs very strong, and even minor disagreements between individuals can escalate into larger confrontations.”

The principal was changed after the fight and the new administration’s stance is much stricter. “Now, no events are allowed outside the campus. Everything has to be within the college premises,” said the teacher.

Bihar: Recurring floods

The Bhagalpur college suffers from another problem – recurring floods. “It happens almost every alternate year,” said a teacher. In recent years, flooding has occurred multiple times, severely disrupting academic activities.

The timing of these floods often coincides with the admission season, affecting new students the most. “Their first impression of the college is of a flooded campus,” the professor said. Classes are forced to shift online, and movement within the campus becomes difficult. “We have to use boats to commute between departments,” he added.

Preparations for floods have become routine. Equipment is shifted to higher floors, and new machinery is installed above ground level as a precaution. However, the larger solution depends on government intervention. Plans for constructing dams have been discussed, but have yet to materialise. “When floods happen, planning begins. But it will take time,” the teacher said.

One university to bind them

Being brought under a single umbrella has helped the colleges, despite their disparate problems. “This is a dedicated technical university, Earlier our college was affiliated with Aryabhatta Knowledge University, which offers a number of professional courses. Now, Bihar Engineering University deals only with engineering programmers," said a college teacher, adding that the VC understands engineering. “ Earlier, the vice-chancellor was not from a technical background, but now people in the university come from the technical field and understand the system better,” he added

Being part of a technical university has also meant better planning and upgrades. To that extent, standardisation has helped the colleges. “They can plan and upgrade or modify the syllabus according to needs,” said a teacher from another college.

Plus, there are efforts to get Bihar’s perennially-disrupted academic schedule back on track. Teachers say the university is trying to focus on conducting examinations on time across all colleges. “It will take a little time but it will happen”.