Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced on Wednesday, 15 July 2026 that the state's digital education programme, Bihar School Live Classes, will expand to 150 government schools in Patna starting 16 July 2026, offering live instruction, AI-based learning support, and free coaching for competitive entrance examinations to students in Classes 9 through 12.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Choudhary described the move as 'naye yug ki or Bihar ka ek aur aitihasik kadam' ('another historic step by Bihar towards a new era'). The announcement covers live classes, AI-based study assistance, smart digital content, notes, mock tests, and preparation support for JEE, NEET, and CUET — the national entrance examinations for engineering, medical, and central university admissions respectively.

By the end of July 2026, the Chief Minister said the facility would reach all 422 higher secondary government schools in Patna. Simultaneously, 10 Model Schools in Patna will begin offering free JEE-NEET coaching, with a planned expansion to 146 Model Schools across the state.

Policy Backdrop

The initiative builds on Bihar's earlier post-pandemic digital classroom pilots, which introduced online learning modules in select government schools, and aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, which mandates technology integration, digital content delivery, and competitive examination support within school education.

The Bihar government has positioned the Bihar School Live Classes scheme as a structural response to the persistent gap between government and private school outcomes in high-stakes national examinations. By embedding JEE-NEET preparation within the school system itself, the state aims to reduce dependence on private coaching centres, which remain financially out of reach for a large share of government school students.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are Classes 9 to 12 students enrolled in Patna's government schools — a demographic that has historically had limited access to structured competitive exam coaching. The free coaching component at Model Schools is specifically designed for JEE and NEET aspirants who cannot afford private tuition.

Beyond academics, Choudhary also announced that the Shastrinagar Balika Hockey Training Centre in Patna — a girls' sports facility — will receive modern sports equipment and that significant steps will be taken towards the construction of an AstroTurf surface there. The pairing of academic and athletic upgrades reflects a broader state pattern of combining education technology investments with extracurricular infrastructure for girls.

What's Next

The immediate benchmark is the rollout across all 422 Patna government high schools by end-July 2026. The expansion of free coaching from 10 to 146 Model Schools will be a key indicator of the programme's scalability and the state's capacity to staff and sustain live instruction at that scale.

Observers will watch whether the Patna rollout serves as a template for district-wise expansion across Bihar, which has a large network of government secondary schools outside the capital. The AstroTurf development at Shastrinagar will also be tracked as a signal of the state's commitment to girls' sports infrastructure alongside its education technology push.