Himachal to merge government primary, middle schools in close proximity
Move comes after prolonged deliberations on low enrollment; 89 primary, 10 middle Schools with zero enrolment to be closed.
After prolonged deliberations on the declining enrolment in government primary schools, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government finally decided to merge the primary and middle schools with very low enrolment located within a distance of 3 km.
The decision to merge the school, which was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by the CM, comes in the backdrop of enrolments in government primary schools dropping from 1,30,466 in 2002-2003 to 49,295 in 2023-24.
There were nearly 701 primary schools with student enrolment of less than five, of which 287 were located within a radius of 2 km from another. An additional 109 schools had a strength of only five students. Furthermore, 46 middle schools were within a radius of 3 km, while 18 others had only five students.
As many as 89 primary and 10 middle schools with zero enrollment, meanwhile, will be closed and teaching staff in the education department will be transferred annually at the end of the academic session.
Nod was also given to head teachers, centre head teachers, headmasters and principals also taking classes.
Moreover, the cabinet mandated that all schools hold a morning assembly with the national anthem and that high and senior secondary schools unfurl the national flag daily. Physical education will be a compulsory daily period at all schools and training in CPR and first-aid will also be provided in collaboration with the health and AYUSH departments.
The assembly’s monsoon session will be convened from August 27 to September 9 at Shimla and have 10 sittings.
In the cabinet meeting, nod was also given to creating the Dehra police district with its headquarters at Dehra along with creation and filling up of 39 posts of different categories. It also decided to upgrade Dadasiba and Majheen police posts as stations as well as to create and fill up 17 posts to make them fully functional.
The Cabinet gave its approval for the procurement of apple, kinnow, malta, orange and mango under the Market Intervention Scheme at ₹12 per kg while the procurement rate for galgal would be ₹10 per kg.
It put its seal on creating SDPO office at Dharampur in Mandi district alongwith creation and filling up of five posts, creating another six posts each for the SDPO offices at Chuwari and Indora, 22 and six for Sihunta and Bhoranj police stations.
Posts for work inspectors in the Jal Shakti Vibhag, junior technicians in the public works department and 21 civil judges were also green-lit.