PM Modi hails Bihar’s education revival during inauguration of skill university

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 4 inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, praising the state’s transformation in education over the past decades.

He credited both the state leadership and the central government’s initiatives for reviving a system that earlier he said had been in disarray.

In his remarks, Modi recalled how, about 25 years ago, Bihar’s schooling system was crippled — many schools were not functioning properly, and students often migrated to cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, or Mumbai in search of opportunities.

He lauded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the NDA government for their efforts to rebuild the infrastructure and ensure that students could access quality education within the state.

The new skill university, named after the legendary socialist leader Karpoori Thakur, will focus on vocational and technical training, aligning education more closely with industry demands.

According to Bihar officials, the institution will affiliate with various skill development institutes across the state, conduct examinations, and confer relevant degrees, enabling the youth to be more competitive at national and global levels.
Patna Press.

At the same event, thousands of appointment letters were distributed to 4,000 youth selected by the Labour Resources Department, underscoring the government’s push to translate training into tangible employment.

The state has set a bold target to connect one crore young individuals with jobs or self-employment opportunities over the next five years.

The skill university launch comes amid a flurry of youth-oriented announcements by the central government. Modi also unveiled projects worth over ₹62,000 crore aimed at upskilling, education, and entrepreneurship, with a special focus on Bihar.

As part of these efforts, the PM-SETU scheme was launched to upgrade 1,000 ITIs across India into hub-and-spoke clusters with modern facilities and industry tie-ups.

During his address, Modi also took a jab at the Congress, accusing the party of attempting to “steal” the title of “Jan Nayak” (People’s Leader) associated with Karpoori Thakur — a reference to Rahul Gandhi being tagged with the same epithet on social media.

He blamed prior state governance under parties like RJD for long-term neglect of Bihar’s education sector and urged the public to remain vigilant against attempts to appropriate leaders’ legacies.

The timing of these announcements is significant, with Bihar approaching Assembly elections. Observers see the skill university and linked schemes as both developmental and politically strategic moves to appeal to the youth and showcase governance that bridges opportunity gaps.

While the vision is ambitious, implementation will be critical. Translating vocational training into sustainable employment, ensuring industry linkage, and maintaining quality across rural and urban areas will test the efficacy of the new university. Additionally, bridging gaps in infrastructure, faculty, curriculum relevance, and funding will be ongoing challenges.

Still, by establishing the skill university and launching broad skilling schemes, the government is sending a strong signal: that the revival of Bihar’s education ecosystem is central not just to the state’s future, but to national ambitions of inclusive growth and youth empowerment.