Overview
- Education Minister Mithlesh Tiwary announced on Tuesday that the Bihar government will introduce one regional language as instruction for all state-run schools’ Classes 1 and 2 starting the 2026–27 academic session.
- The State Council of Educational Research and Training has been tasked with producing textbooks in Bhojpuri, Magahi, Surjapuri, Bajjika, Maithili and Angika and is holding workshops with teachers and language experts to finalise content.
- Officials say the current rollout covers only Classes 1 and 2 with a phased plan to extend the same regional-language arrangement and develop textbooks for Classes 3–5 at a later stage.
- The stated goals are to improve conceptual understanding by teaching in children’s home languages, help pupils adapt to school culture, strengthen ties to local festivals and work, and preserve the state’s linguistic heritage.
- Next steps to watch include SCERT’s textbook completion and distribution, teacher training for classroom delivery, and how schools choose which single regional language to use in linguistically mixed areas.