Educational institutions will witness a series of activities in August. Various institutions in Patna have planned their convocation and foundation stone laying of new campuses. Roshan Kumar reports

IIT-PATNA

• Campus at: Bihta
• Convocation date: August 6
• Chief guest: P Balaram, former director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Highlights: Students during the convocation will learn about recent innovations in biochemistry from Balaram
Trivia: The institute will award degree to the passing-out batch from session 2012-16. The institute recorded has a good placement track record. Also IIT -Patna has been ranked 10 best institute in terms of engineering colleges in the country

NALANDA UNIVERSITY

• Campus at: Rajgir
• Convocation date: August 27
• Chief guest: President Pranab Mukherjee
• Highlights: This will be first convocation of Nalanda University which started its academic session in 2014. Around 13 students from the School of Historical Studies and School of Ecology and Environment Studies will get their degrees
Trivia: The function will also coincide with the foundation laying ceremony. President Mukherjee will lay the foundation stone of a new campus which will come up over 455 acres in Rajgir. Once the construction work begins, the university first-phase work will be completed within 32 months

PATNA UNIVERSITY

• Campus at: Patna
• Convocation date: August 20
• Chief guest: Maharashtra Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao
• Highlights: Around 1100 scholars, mainly PG and PhD students have enrolled for attending the convocation. Forty students (majority being girls) will get their degrees
• Trivia: The institute which was blamed for irregular academic session and even convocations not being held regularly will organise its convocation for the second time in a year. The last convocation was held in November, where students who had received their degree in 2013, attended the function

NALANDA OPEN UNIVERSITY

• Campus at: Patna
• Convocation date: July 30
• Chief guest: Governor Ram Nath Kovind
• Highlights: Around 22,000 scholars, including 14,000 postgraduate students will get their degrees. University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Ved Prakash has been invited to deliver the convocation address. Students will learn the nitty-gritty on reforms in higher education from the UGC chairman
• Trivia: Girls have outshone boys. Of the 28 gold medallists, 21 are girls. Also, around 40 per cent of degree recipients will be women.