Patna, August 5 : In a major decision with significant political and social implications, the Bihar Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday, approved a proposal to reserve 84.4 per cent of teacher recruitment posts for the residents of the state.

The move comes months ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, reflecting a clear push to prioritise local candidates in the state's education sector.

The decision was part of the Bihar State School Teacher Appointment, Transfer, Disciplinary Action and Service Condition (Amendment) Rules, 2025, which was among the 36 proposals approved in Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

As per Cabinet Secretariat's Additional Chief Secretary S. Siddharth, Bihar already has a 50 per cent caste-based reservation, 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) for the general category, and 35 per cent horizontal reservation within categories for women of Bihar origin.

From the remaining 65 per cent of the general category seats, the Cabinet has now decided that 40 per cent of these seats will be reserved for candidates, who have passed matriculation (Class 10) and intermediate (Class 12) from any board within Bihar.

This leaves just 15 per cent of the total seats open to all candidates, including those from outside Bihar.

The Cabinet noted that even if 10 to 15 per cent applicants are from outside Bihar, the structure ensures that about 84.4 per cent of all teaching posts will effectively go to Bihar domicile candidates.

This decision aligns with growing calls for local job preference and echoes similar policies in other Indian states.

In the backdrop of upcoming elections, the move is being viewed as a strategy to consolidate regional and youth support, particularly among aspiring teachers, who have long demanded greater representation in the education system.

While supporters hail the move as a step towards employment justice for locals, some experts anticipate that the 15 per cent open category may become a point of legal and political contention, especially for non-domiciled aspirants.

Apart from the domicile policy, the Cabinet has doubled the honorarium of physical education teachers, cooks and night watchmen.

/IANS