Himachal Pradesh Cabinet Orders Closure Of 99 Govt Schools With Zero Enrolment

The Himachal Pradesh state cabinet, in a meeting on Thursday, decided to close 99 government schools with zero enrollment, 89 primary schools and 10 middle schools.

It also approved the merger of government primary schools within 2 km and government middle schools within 3 km if they have five or fewer students.

Stressing the need for these changes, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said, “We are focusing on optimising resources to provide quality education. Schools with zero enrolments do not serve their purpose and merging schools with low enrolments will ensure better utilisation of our educational infrastructure.”

In line with these decisions, they also approved annual transfers of teachers to be carried out only after the end of the academic session. All teachers, including head teachers, centre heads, principals and directors, will teach students. Morning assemblies with the national anthem and daily hoisting of the national flag in high schools and secondary schools will be made mandatory. Physical education will be made a compulsory daily lesson and training in resuscitation and first aid will be provided in collaboration with the health and Aayush ministries.

They also decided that teachers from the education department would be transferred annually at the end of the academic session and not mid-session. The cabinet decided that head teachers, centre heads, principals and school directors would also have to teach students.

The cabinet also directed all schools to hold a morning assembly with the singing of the national anthem and hoist the national flag daily in secondary schools.

Also, the cabinet decided to make Dehra in Kangra a police district and create and fill 39 posts of different categories. It also decided to upgrade police posts at Dadasiba and Majheen to police stations.

It was also decided to set up a public works circle at Dehra and a public works department at Jwalamukhi in Kangra district and to create and fill 26 posts of different categories.

The creation of a Jal Shakti Vibhag department at Dharampur and a new sub-division at Parwanoo in Solan district with 17 posts were also approved.

It was also decided at the meeting to transfer the jurisdiction of the Subathu sub-division from the Arki division to the Dharmapur division.