The Bihar government declared that intermediate (Class XII) programmes would be discontinued in colleges associated with the state's several universities.

In a notification published late evening on Wednesday, February 21, the Education Department stated that, while such classes were terminated at Patna University nearly a decade ago, they will no longer be offered at colleges affiliated with other universities beginning in April of this year.

According to the notification, intermediate education (in all three streams – Arts, Science, and Commerce) will now be taught only in higher secondary schools beginning with the new session. The resolution in this matter has already been published in the state gazette, PTI reports.

In 2007, the Nitish Kumar government made a policy decision to phase out intermediate education from colleges per the National Education Policy (1986-1992) and implemented a 10+2 structure in plus two.

"The department has already developed large-scale infrastructure and recruited 67,961 teachers for higher secondary schools and another 65,737 teachers in secondary schools under a special drive. The government schools are now equipped to handle plus two education", says the notification.

Earlier, the Bihar government had also taken a policy decision to have one higher secondary school in every panchayat and had upgraded the existing secondary schools.