The state government is planning to develop 24 colleges located in as many educationally backward districts as model institutes.

These colleges would be provided financial assistance to strengthen their academic and infrastructure facilities under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan — a centrally sponsored scheme for reforming higher education.

A meeting in this connection will be held on Monday where senior education department officials will ask college principals to prepare their development plans.

Education department (higher education) director Sitaram Singh said: “The Union government has selected more than 300 districts as educationally backward, including 24, in the state.” A constituent college in each district will be developed as a model college or centre of excellence.

The education department, after receiving development plan from each college, will submit it to Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan board. Each college will receive Rs 4 crore to upgrade its infrastructure and the funds will be utilised for construction or renovation of college building, library, development of modern and scientific lab, boundary wall of college buildings and others.

Of the total funds to be received by colleges, the Centre will provide 65 per cent, while the remaining will be borne by the state. The Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, which envisages quality improvement in higher education aims at creation of higher education council, which would be a prerequisite for seeking funds under the centrally sponsored programme.

Sources said based on scene of higher education in various districts, the Union government had selected 24 districts as educationally backward districts. Some of the colleges, which have been selected for development of model colleges, includes CM Science College, Darbhanga, MS College, Motihari, SN College, Aurangabad, Kosi College, Khagaria, RN College Vaishali and others.

The institutes, which would be developed as model colleges, are in addition to community colleges that will be developed in later phases.

The state government, after the success of 15 community colleges, which started functioning from September this year, has planned to launch 15 more such colleges in the state.

The state government has sent a proposal to ministry of human resources development with a request to start 15 more community colleges in the state.