Over 2 years, nearly 1,200 schools in Himachal Pradesh have been shut due to scant or no student enrollment, according to the education minister.
School Closures in Himachal Pradesh:
In a surprising move, the state of Himachal Pradesh has shut down a staggering 1,200 schools over the past two and a half years. Among these closures, around 450 schools were forced to shut their doors due to lack of student enrollment, while the rest were merged due to low attendance.
The Education Minister, Rohit Thakur, spoke about this radical move during a press conference. He explained that these closures and mergers were part of a comprehensive plan by the state government to boost the education sector. According to the minister, a criterion of merging schools has been established; if the enrollment is less than 25 from Class 6 to 12, these schools may be merged.
To address the long-standing demands of the employees, the state government has begun regularizing part-time water carriers who have served in the Education Department for a combined 11 years (part-time water carrier and daily wage roles).
The government has also taken steps to fill the vacant posts, sanctioning 15,000 new teaching positions, including 3,900 roles in primary education. An additional 3,100 positions are soon to be filled through the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog.
In light of these changes, the minister explained that the selection process for the education sector, which had halted during the previous BJP government, has now resumed. He emphasized the government's commitment to strengthening the pre-primary education, hiring 6,200 nursery teachers, and appointing 700 lecturers in schools.
Impressively, according to the 'Annual Status of Education Report' released in January, 2025, the reading skills of government school students in Himachal Pradesh were among the best in the country. On multiple parameters of this survey, Himachal Pradesh was rated as the top-performing state in school education nationwide. This acknowledgment further underscores the government's efforts to improve the education sector and provide quality learning opportunities for students.
(Originally published by an external source. The headline and minor edits have been made by our editorial staff to align with our style)
Details from enrichment data:
This mass school closure initiative is focused on consolidating smaller, less viable schools into more robust educational institutions with improved resources and facilities. The state has been reorganizing and merging schools as part of a strategy aimed at the rationalization of educational facilities. This process includes closing underutilized or low-enrollment schools and merging students and resources into neighboring schools with better resources and capacity. The ultimate goal is to create a more efficient and sustainable educational environment.
Furthermore, the state is implementing policies to safeguard teachers' entitlements during these changes, particularly those appointed before certain cut-off dates, to maintain stability during this transformative period. Government projects like public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives, such as a 1.77 crore infrastructure project, are being used to aid these efforts and improve educational infrastructure.
- The policy-and-legislation in Himachal Pradesh's education sector includes criteria for merging schools with low enrollment, aiming to boost the education sector's efficiency.
- Online-education platforms and resources may emerge as essential tools for students in Himachal Pradesh, given the mass school closures and mergers as part of the state's education-and-self-development plan.
- General-news outlets and media organizations can closely monitor the progress of policy-and-legislation in Himachal Pradesh's education sector, paying special attention to learning opportunities in online environments and the impact on student achievement.
