Patna: The Bihar government approved a proposal to allow 300 private B.Ed institutions to offer undergraduate programmes in Arts, Science, Commerce and other subjects, along with skill-based courses.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary here.
Approving a proposal of the Higher Education Department, the government said the move was in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and guidelines of the NCTE.
"In accordance with the National Education Policy, 2020 and the guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the cabinet has approved the proposal to develop standalone private teacher education institutions (B.Ed) into multidisciplinary degree colleges," it said.
Around 300 NCTE-recognised institutions offering teacher education will, as a result, be able to conduct undergraduate programmes in Arts, Science, Commerce and other subjects, besides skill-based courses.
Reacting to the decision, Choudhary said in a post on X, "Through this initiative, students will have opportunities to pursue undergraduate and vocational courses in arts, science, commerce, and other subjects all within the same campus. This will give a new impetus to quality education, skill development, research, and employability-focused education."
The cabinet also approved strengthening of the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme 2026-31 and its extension for another five years.
"With the objective of making the system of providing financial assistance to students for higher education more comprehensive, accessible, quality-oriented and financially sustainable in the long term, the implementation framework of the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme 2026-2031 has been approved, and the scheme has been extended for the next five years, from financial year 2026-27 to 2030-31," a statement said.
A provision of Rs 950 crore has been made for implementation of the scheme during the current financial year 2026-27, it added.
"As a result of this decision, students in the state will have greater opportunities for higher education, access to higher education will be strengthened, and the state's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) will be encouraged to increase," the proposal said.
"This initiative will play a crucial role in removing economic barriers and advancing the youth of Bihar towards higher education, better opportunities, and a self-reliant future," Choudhary said in his post.
The cabinet also extended the 'Kushal Yuva Programme', aimed at providing skill training to young people, till 2031.
"Under 'Saat Nischay-3', the Kushal Yuva Programme will be extended from 2026-27 to 2030-31. With an approval of Rs 430.08 crore, youth will be trained in future skills such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones, solar, networking, digital marketing, banking, telecom, foreign languages, and entrepreneurship," the CM said.
The programme will directly create 6,436 employment opportunities and train more than 2.57 lakh youth annually in the state, he added.
With the emergence of new technologies such as AI and digital technologies, the programme will provide training to Bihar's youth in accordance with the changing demands of the job market, the proposal said.
"Training will be provided in high-demand and emerging technology-related fields, as well as in areas where there is increasing demand due to entrepreneurship and the requirements of existing industries," it said.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.