Himachal Pradesh Government to Ensure Education for All; Boarding School Planned for Spiti, Says CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Government to Ensure Education for All; Boarding School Planned for Spiti, Says CM Sukhu

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced in the state assembly on Tuesday that a new boarding school will soon be established in Spiti, ensuring that no child in the tribal region of Lahaul and Spiti district is deprived of education. This move is part of a series of reforms aimed at improving the quality of education in the state, which has recently dropped to the 18th position in national rankings.

During his intervention in a discussion on a calling attention motion, CM Sukhu mentioned that the government is considering relocating students from remote areas to district headquarters, with the state bearing the expenses. This step is meant to address the challenges faced by students in the region’s tough terrain.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur, responding to a motion raised by Congress MLA Anuradha Rana regarding the reconsideration of school mergers in Lahaul and Spiti, defended the decision to merge schools with low student numbers. Thakur highlighted that this move was not unique to Himachal Pradesh, with over 76,000 schools merged across the country. He stated that Himachal has seen a decline of 5.13 lakh students in government schools over the last two decades, necessitating such reforms.

Thakur revealed that 12 primary schools and one middle school have been merged in the Lahaul and Spiti constituency, with 19 schools merged in his own Jubbal and Kotkhai constituency. He pointed out that Senior Secondary School Hansa in Lahaul and Spiti had only two students but employed eight teachers, part of a broader issue where 750 teachers are posted for just 2,100 students in the constituency.

Despite this, the government is taking the region’s harsh geographical conditions into account and will reconsider the merger of schools in Lahaul and Spiti.