Big Pre-Poll Push: Nitish Kumar Doubles Pay for Bihar’s School Support Staff in Major Education Boost

Patna: In a strategic move just months before the Bihar Assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a massive two-fold hike in the honorarium for cooks, night guards, and physical education and health instructors serving in state-run schools.

The announcement, made via a detailed post on social media platform X, underscores the government’s intent to strengthen the education ecosystem and reward the often-overlooked support workforce. “Since 2005, we have consistently worked to upgrade Bihar’s education system,” Nitish Kumar said, citing an 18-fold rise in the education budget — from ₹4,366 crore to ₹77,690 crore.

Under this new policy:

• Mid-day meal cooks will now receive ₹3,300 per month, up from ₹1,650.
• Night guards in secondary and higher secondary schools will be paid ₹10,000, instead of the previous ₹5,000.
• Physical education and health instructors will get ₹16,000 monthly, up from ₹8,000.
• Their annual increment has also been doubled — from ₹200 to ₹400.

Nitish Kumar emphasized that this decision is a “mark of respect” for the contribution of school staff who, though not classroom teachers, play a crucial role in safety, nutrition, and student well-being.

Political observers see the move as a calculated welfare push to consolidate goodwill among lakhs of low-income workers and their families, a sizable vote bank in Bihar’s rural and semi-urban regions.

The announcement has already triggered responses from opposition parties, who are accusing the JD(U)-led government of “election-time generosity”, while education advocates have welcomed the long-overdue recognition of support staff.