E-Paper
Himachal: 70 more schools, 21 colleges with low enrolments to be shut
Education minister Rohit Thakur says the move will improve efficiency. A proposal will be brought in the cabinet to merge schools with low enrolments with nearby institutions, converting them into high schools, he says.
After closing 1,094 primary and middle schools, Sukhvinder Singh Sikhu-led Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is set to denotify/downgrade about 70 secondary schools and denotify 21 colleges with low enrollments. Education minister Rohit Thakur on Tuesday said that on the basis of low number of students and continuously decreasing enrolment, the government has decided to close or merge the educational institutions.
The government is looking at colleges with less than 100 enrolments and there are about 21 such colleges in the state that are likely to be closed. Two colleges are such that were never started. The senior secondary schools that have less than 25 students from class 6 to 12 will be closed or merged. However, in remote areas this number has been kept at 15 only.
Minister Rohit Thakur, while talking to HT, said the move would improve efficiency. “A proposal will be brought in the cabinet to merge schools with low enrolments with nearby institutions, converting them into high schools,” he said.
Sharing the data, Thakur said, “In 2023-24, 1,094 elementary schools were denotified, including 675 schools with zero enrolment. Similarly, 21 colleges have fewer than 100 students, while many senior secondary schools have only 25 students in class 12 which will be closed or merged.”
He said, “Over the past two years, we have consistently strengthened the education department. The consolidation process, which started in 2023, is being expanded. In the first phase, we focused on elementary education and now we are working on higher education, including colleges and senior secondary schools.”
No mutual transfer in urban schools: Thakur
The government is set to introduce significant changes in teacher transfers before the new academic session. The education department has proposed a ban on mutual transfers of teachers in urban schools, citing an imbalance in postings due to frequent relocations. However, mutual transfers will still be allowed in rural areas.
Education minister Rohit Thakur said, “The decision aims to prevent teachers from remaining in select urban schools for extended periods. Teacher transfers directly affect students’ learning. In the past, mid-session transfers led to a decline in education quality as students were left without teachers. To prevent this, mid-session transfers have been stopped.”
Thakur blames BJP for state’s financial crisis
Rohit Thakur blamed the previous Jai Ram Thakur-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for the state’s financial crisis. “The Congress government inherited a huge debt burden from the previous BJP regime,” said Thakur. “The state had to pay ₹18,000 crore in interest on loans taken by the previous BJP government,” he said.
“Himachal Pradesh is currently burdened with a debt of ₹75,000 crore due to BJP’s tenure. The state is yet to receive ₹9,500 crore post-disaster assessment funds,” said Thakur.
