Bank accounts mandatory for all students of Bihar government schools

The Education Department of Bihar has initiated the process of opening bank accounts for children studying in all government schools of the state. Instructions were issued by the Education Department on Thursday, 5 November 2026, stating that every child must have an individual or joint bank account in a government or nationalised bank.

As part of this innovative initiative, the Education Department has made it mandatory to maintain birth certificates of all children studying in all government schools across the state in school records. The Director (Administration) of the Education Department has sent letters to all District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Programme Officers (DPOs) providing the necessary instructions in this regard.

The letter sent by the department states that since 2014, the Central Government, under its financial inclusion campaign, has emphasised opening accounts for every individual in government banks. A birth certificate is required to open a bank account, and this same document is indispensable for securing admission to school. Keeping these requirements in mind, the Education Department has directed all government schools to maintain the birth certificate of every enrolled child in their official records.

Headmasters of all government schools have been instructed to contact managers of nearby government or nationalised bank branches and ensure the opening of bank accounts for all children enrolled in their schools. Priority will be given especially to those children who are eligible to receive scholarship benefits in this process.

A senior official of the Education Department stated that if bank accounts are held in the names of the children, it will be easier for the government to transfer funds directly through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under various schemes.

To simplify the process of obtaining birth certificates, headmasters have also been directed to contact the Mukhiya of the Gram Panchayat in their respective areas. In rural areas, birth certificates are issued by the Mukhiya or Panchayat Secretary, while in urban areas, these certificates are issued by the respective municipality or municipal body.

The Education Department has instructed the concerned officials that both the tasks of maintaining birth certificate records and opening bank accounts be completed by 31 December 2026 through a special campaign.