What Is the Need for Education?”: Bihar Education Minister’s Remarks on Girls Trigger Massive Outrage

Fresh controversy has erupted in Bihar after newly appointed Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari faced severe backlash over remarks widely perceived as dismissive of girls’ education and women’s autonomy.

The criticism intensified after a video clip surfaced online in which Tiwari appeared to question the importance of formal education for girls. In the video, he is heard asking, “Zaroorat kya hai education ki?” (“What is the need for education?”), while speaking about daughters and family values.

Tiwari further suggested that girls did not need to “come out on the streets” for empowerment, arguing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was already working toward women’s welfare through initiatives such as Nari Shakti Vandana. When questioned about women’s rights by a reporter, he reportedly responded, “Aapko haq aise hi mil jayega” (“You will get your rights automatically”), a statement that has drawn widespread criticism for allegedly trivialising the struggle for gender equality.

The remarks quickly triggered outrage across social media platforms, with opposition leaders, activists and education advocates calling the comments regressive and deeply contradictory to efforts aimed at improving girls’ access to education in the state.

Among those criticising the minister was Tejashwi Yadav, who shared the video online and accused the government of promoting a patriarchal mindset that undermines women’s education and independence.

Critics argue that such statements are particularly concerning in a state that has spent years attempting to improve female literacy rates and reduce school dropout levels among girls. Bihar has introduced multiple scholarship schemes, expanded girls’ schooling infrastructure and launched awareness campaigns encouraging families to educate daughters, especially in rural areas where educational access remains uneven.

Women’s rights organisations and civil society groups have also expressed concern that comments from a serving education minister could reinforce harmful stereotypes discouraging girls from pursuing higher education or participating freely in public life.

The controversy has now sparked calls for an official clarification or apology from the minister. Activists insist that education, mobility and equal opportunity are constitutional rights, not privileges to be granted conditionally.

As debate continues, the episode has reignited larger conversations around gender equality, political accountability and the role of public representatives in shaping social attitudes toward women’s education in India.