The Bihar government announced the discontinuation of plus two (intermediate) classes held in colleges affiliated with various universities in the state. In a notification issued late on Wednesday evening, the Education department stated that while such classes had been discontinued in Patna University about a decade ago, the same will cease to be held at colleges falling under other varsities from the academic session beginning in April this year.
According to the notification, intermediate education in all three streams — arts, science, and commerce — will now be imparted only in higher secondary schools from the new session. The department also mentioned that the delinking of intermediate (plus two) from colleges has been recommended in the Universities Act but could not be enforced until now due to inadequate infrastructure and manpower in higher secondary schools.
The resolution regarding this matter has already been notified in the state gazette. The Nitish Kumar government, in 2007, had decided to phase out intermediate education from colleges in line with the National Education Policy (1986/92) and introduced the 10+2 format 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," stated the notification. Earlier, the Bihar government had also decided to have one higher secondary school in every panchayat and had upgraded the existing secondary schools.