Jharkhand is the 28th state of the Indian Union. This new state, Jharkhand formerly a part of Bihar state, was formed on November 15th, 2000 with Ranchi as its capital. Today Jharkhand is known as one the most industrialized regions of the country. Besides being a hub of industrial activities, the state of Jharkhand is also a popular educational destination in the country. Over the years, presence of highly-prestigious centers of learning including Birla Institute of Technologyand Indian Scool of Mines, has earned huge laurels to the state for their cutting-edge programmes in wide-ranging disciplines.

Schooling in the state starts at the age of 5. The Schools in the state are either affiliated to the state board of secondary education or to the CBSE or ICSE. The schools run by the state government use Hindi as their medium of instruction; however schools affiliated to CBSE or ICSE use English as their medium of study. The Jharkhand government has adopted the free and compulsory education policy to provide primary education to all children up to the age of 14. The notable educational scheme includes the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan- an extensive scheme which has been introduced in the state to universalize elementary education through district based, decentralized specific planning and implementation strategy by community ownership of the school system.

Jharkhand follows the 10+2 system of school education which is followed by 3 years degree courses. After completion of +2, a student goes for higher education. There are six universities in the state including three deemed universities. The state has some of the country’s best institutions in the field of engineering and management. According to the 2001 census the literacy rate of the state is 54.13%,a cause of concern for the State Government.

Administration

NAME	DESIGNATION	TELEPHONE	FAX
Sri Himbachan Sahoo	Director (Higher Education)	0651-2400771	0651-2400771
Sri Manikant Azad	Director (Secondary Education)	0651-2400973	0651-2400858
Sri S. K. Sharma	Director (Primary Education)	0651-2441049	0651-2440388
Sri Harendra Prasad Singh	Additional Director (Secondary Education)	0651-2400878

Institutes	Total No.
Schools	21386
Universities (Including 1 deemed university)	5