Just a decade ago, Bihar’s young often dreamed of government jobs and railway clerks. Mass exodus for work were the norm.
Scandals were rampant too – in 2015, parents scaled walls to help children cheat, and in 2016, a board topper couldn’t answer basic questions.
Young people crammed onto Patna-bound trains clutching exam admission slips. Railway clerk and bank jobs were the dream, and coaching centres in Patna or Gaya the prep schools of ambition.
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With few local industries, only a tiny fraction of graduates found jobs in-state, forcing families to send sons and daughters to distant factories and farms.
State data from that era tell the story: Bihar’s literacy lingered around 62% (far below India’s 73%), and nearly 40% of secondary students dropped out.
Today that story is shifting. Schools and coaching centres now dot even rural areas, and thousands of youths turn to online tutorials or tech training – a far cry from the "railway clerk" dream.
Behind the scenes, hard nu
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