On Phulwari Sharif-Janipur Road in Babhanpura, a narrow two-storied building functions as a private library for students preparing for competitive exams. More than 250 young men and women, mostly from Patna and neighboring villages, study here daily. The library has become a haven for those who cannot afford expensive coaching centers but still cling to the hope of a government job.
Among them is Aman Kumar, 23, a graduate from Patna. He started preparing for the entrance exams about a year and a half ago. “I took the written test twice for the Bihar police,” he says. “The first time, I had a problem with my leg and I couldn’t attend the examination. The second time, my paper leaked. The exam was canceled. After that, we waited almost a year for information.”
Aman Kumar, 23, a graduate from Patna. | Photo credit: Shikha Kumari A.
Aman says that for people like him, government jobs are the only real option. “There are no private jobs here,” he says. “Our education system has been weak from the beginning. Private coaching centers charge a lot and village kids can’t afford it. So everyone runs for government jobs.”
He explains that exam announcements are irregular and unpredictable. “Sometimes the notification comes suddenly, sometimes it’s delayed so long that students lose motivation,” he says. “If the trials were on time, we could plan well.
“Honesty won’t help”
Even the application process itself is difficult. “You cannot get certificates from the block office without paying bribes,” he says. “If you try to get them through the normal channels, your form keeps getting rejected. You go over and over until you finally pay. Only then does it move forward.”
Aman looks at his books before adding, “We learn honestly. But honesty doesn’t help here.”
About 30 km from Patna, the fight looks the same. In Madhuban village, 27-year-old Dharmendra Kumar spent four years preparing for government posts. His father died during the pandemic and his mother Rita Devi now supports the family through farm work.
“My mother works in the fields and does a bit of farming,” says Dharmendra. “This is how we farm. Our income is six to eight thousand rupees a month.”
27-year-old Dharmendra Kumar spent four years preparing for government posts. | Photo credit: Shikha Kumari A.
He is the first in his family to graduate. “In the village, people preparing for government jobs are respected,” he says. “They have power and security. Private jobs here pay eight or ten grand for twelve hours of work. That’s not enough to support a family.”
He stayed in Patna for a year to prepare before returning to the village to continue his studies. “My friends who used to train with me are now doing work in other states,” he says. “I stayed because I still believe that education should mean something.
Trial spree
It will open a file full of exam certificates and admit cards. “I applied for several exams, Bihar Police, Railways and SSC,” he says. “Sometimes the exam is cancelled, sometimes it is postponed for years. Paper leaks ruin everything. Poor students cannot afford coaching again and again. Every time the government announces a new exam, our hope rises. But the moment it is cancelled, our money and months of study are gone.”
Paper leaks lead to cancellation and delay of exams. | Photo credit: Shikha Kumar A.
He barely survived in Patna. “I used to get a thousand rupees from home every month,” he says. “I cooked for myself using rice and dal brought from the village. Coaching costs too much, so I teach myself.”
“In our village, people say the government has forgotten the youth,” he says. “We’re not even mad now, just tired.
He looks away for a moment before saying, “Sometimes I think about giving up. But my mother tells me to keep going. Maybe I’ll clean it up this time.”
Rita Devi sits on the veranda outside her house, her palms rough from farm work. “I work in the fields and I work,” he says. “Even if we were starving, I prioritized his education. Government jobs are better than private jobs. Private jobs don’t bring stability or benefits to family and children.”
“He studies our only hope”
She never borrowed money. “We sold goats and crops to pay his fees,” he says. “He is the first in our family to study so much. People in the village ask me why I am spending money on his studies, but I tell them it is our only hope.”
Dharmendra Kumar’s mother Rita Devi. , Photo credit: Shikha Kumari A.
Her voice softens as she talks about his future. “I tell him not to lose hope,” she says. “If not this time, then next time. I still believe he will succeed.”
In Patna, Niranjan, who works with students from the Manjhi community, says unemployment has become one of the most pressing problems in the state. “Families sell land or jewelry to send their children for coaching,” he says. “When those kids fail, the pressure becomes unbearable. Some guys even say, ‘If I don’t get it right this time, I’m going to end my life.’
He also saw the information gap between the capital and the countryside widening. “Within 30 km of Patna, the situation changes completely,” he says. “In villages, students don’t even get to know about new exam notifications in time. They depend on others for every update. By the time they know, the deadline is over.”
He believes the timing of job announcements adds to the frustration. “The government opens job portals one or two months before the elections,” he says. “Nothing happens for the rest of the five years. It’s a cycle of hope and disappointment.”
The social value of government. jobs
Niranjan adds that the social value of government jobs still outweighs the income. “In Bihar, even a peon in a government office is respected more than someone earning ₹25,000 from private work,” he says. “Parents tell their children, ‘Get a government job or don’t come home.’ This mindset drives everyone in the same direction.”
He pauses and concludes: “The problem is not just unemployment. It’s also about lost direction. Many students start preparing for exams they don’t even want, just because others are doing it. When it doesn’t work, they lose confidence in themselves.”
The Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) shows Bihar’s unemployment rate at around 5%, but the labor participation rate, the proportion of people actually working or looking for work, remains among the lowest in India. For young people aged 15 to 29, only around 28 out of 100 work, and for women this number is even lower.
A senior official from the state’s Ministry of Manpower said in a recent press release that the government had launched new training and recruitment drives, but acknowledged that “examination irregularities and overlapping vacancies” had slowed implementation.
Paper leaks in 2024 and early 2025 have already delayed recruitment in several key departments, including the police, recruitment and revenue. With elections around the corner, many young aspirants say the delays have deepened the sense of betrayal.
The education-opportunity gap
Despite repeated announcements, most jobs in the state remain informal and unstable. The gap between education and opportunity has left a generation suspended in limbo.
As dusk falls, the private library in Babhanpura begins to empty. Students close their books and take to the streets, exam dates and notifications still swirling in their conversations. Aman collects his notes and prepares to leave.
A student corrects his notes in preparation for a competitive exam. | Photo credit: Shikha Kumari A.
“We study from morning to night,” he says. “There is pressure from family, neighbors, everyone. People ask when will we get a job. But no one sees what the aspirants go through.”
He steps out into a narrow lane. The noise of traffic and evening voices rises around him. “That’s what we’re doing now,” he said quietly. “We’re waiting.”
