Ahead of Assembly polls, Nitish announces domicile policy for teachers’ recruitment in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced a ‘domicile policy’ in the recruitment of government teachers.

The Chief Minister, however, did not specify what percentage of recruitments was to be reserved for those born and raised in the state.

The announcement came ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, which are due this year.

“The Education Department has been directed to make necessary amendments to the relevant rules to give priority to the residents (domicile) of Bihar in the recruitment of teachers,” Kumar said in a post on X.

“Since the formation of the government in November 2005, we have been continuously working to improve the education system. A large number of teachers have been appointed to strengthen the education system,” he said.

This will be implemented from the Teachers Recruitment Exam (TRE)-4, which will be conducted this year, while TRE-5 will be held in 2026, the Chief Minister said.

Instructions have also been given to conduct Secondary Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) before the organisation of TRE-5, he said.

Recently, amid growing clamour for a ‘domicile policy’ in Bihar, the Bihar Cabinet ordered that a quota of 35 per cent for women in government jobs will be restricted to only ‘permanent residents’ of the state.

In 2016, the state government introduced 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in the state at all levels.

Notably, the state has been witnessing attempts at public mobilisation on the issue of domicile, ahead of assembly elections. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has promised ‘100 per cent domicile’ if the RJD comes to power.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan also came out in support of the demand for domicile a couple of days ago, but called into question the RJD’s commitment to the issue.

A large number of job aspirants staged a protest in Patna on August 1, demanding the implementation of a domicile policy in government jobs and had blocked movement of traffic.