Dumka District is one among the 24 districts in the state of Jharkhand and the district is located in the eastern part of the country. The district is spread over an area of 3716.02 km2 and it has the city town of Dumka as its administrative headquarters. The population of Dumka District according to the census conducted in the year 2001 was 1,106,521 people. In the year 2006, the district was named as one of the 250 most backward districts in the nation and it is one among the 21 districts in the state currently receiving funds from Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme.

Divisions in Dumka District of Jharkhand:

The district of Dumka is divided into 10 blocks and a sub-divisions and the 10 blocks in the district are Saraiyahat, Shikaripara, Raneswhwar, Ramgarh, Maslia, Kathikund, Jarmundi, Jama, Gopikander and Dumka. The headquarters city of Dumka District (Dumka) is otherwise called as mini Kolkata.

Higher Education at Dumka District:

Dumka District acts as the home for the Siddhu Kanhu University that came into existence in the year 1992 and the university was later renamed as Siddhu Kanhu Murmu University. this university has 13 constituent colleges under its control and it is a public university having affiliated colleges as well apart from the 13 constituent colleges. The names of government colleges functioning from the District of Dumka along with some other details about these colleges are given below:

Medical College:

• Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Dumka

Arts, Science & Commerce Colleges:

• S.P. College, Dumka

• S.P. Mahila College, Dumka

Polytechnic College:

• Government Polytechnic, Dumka

Medical College:

Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Dumka is functioning under the control of Government of Jharkhand and this college offers BHMS course with affiliation from the Vinoba Bhave University. For seeking admission to this course, candidates must have completed their higher secondary in PCB subjects with not less than 50% of marks.

Arts, Science & Commerce Colleges:

Both S.P. College, Dumka and S.P. Mahila College, Dumka are acting as constituent units of the Siddhu Kanhu Murmu University and the full form of the term SP in the names of these colleges are Santal Pargana College. Of these college one college is a co-education college and the other is meant for higher education to women candidates. These colleges offer arts, science and commerce education not only at UG level, but also at the intermediate and PG level. The list of subjects offered by these colleges in these faculties is as follows:

• Bangla

• Chemistry

• Philosophy

• Geography

• Zoology

• Physics

• History

• Maithili

• Botany

• Physiology

• Santhali

Commerce courses are offered by these colleges only at the intermediate and UG level and not at PG level. These colleges also offer other courses by acting as study centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University located at New Delhi.

Polytechnic College:

Government Polytechnic, Dumka has been offering diploma courses with approval from the Department of Science & Technology of Jharkhand Government right from the year 1964 and the institute is approved with an intake capacity of 30 students per year in the following branches of engineering:

• Information Technology

• Electrical Engineering

• Civil Engineering

• Mechanical Engineering