With two of its premier technical institutions having already been detached, Patna University (PU) is facing a crisis of sorts so far as its academic expansion is concerned.

Once, PU, the seventh oldest university of the Indian sub-continent, used to have academic jurisdiction over the institutions spread all over the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and even Nepal. But, with the passage of time, its jurisdiction was confined to just a few colleges and post-graduate departments located within the Patna Municipal Corporation area.

In 2003, its constituent unit, the Bihar College of Engineering was upgraded as the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Patna by the Central government. Later, it was declared "deemed university" with PU losing all its control over this institution. Some time back, the Patna Medical College, which was academically affiliated to PU, was shifted to Aryabhat Knowledge University (AKU). Consequently, PU has lost its faculties of engineering and medicines.

If the move of the state government succeeds, some more constituent colleges of PU namely, the College of Arts and Crafts, the Patna Law College, the Patna Training College and the Women's Training College, might be attached to AKU. All these institutions have been imparting teaching in professional courses for the last several decades under the academic and administrative control of PU.

PU, on its own, has recently initiated a move for introducing five-year integrating teaching in different subjects leading to MA, MSc or MCom degree. Students would be admitted to these courses after Class XII and would be free to leave the course after passing the examination at the end of the third year (with graduation degree).

If the plan materializes, Patna College and Patna Science College, or for that matter, all other colleges of PU, would lose their relevance. PU will then, assume the shape of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) or Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Heads of some post-graduate departments of PU have welcomed the move and observed that there is no harm if the university is developed as a centre of excellence in post-graduate teaching and research.