Over 1,100 teachers declared surplus; state prepares for major school rationalisation
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to close 103 government schools across the state that have recorded zero student enrollment. Additionally, 443 schools with ten or fewer students will be merged with nearby schools as part of a large-scale rationalisation plan to improve resource utilisation and address declining student numbers.
The decision was approved during a departmental review meeting chaired by Education Minister Rohit Thakur at the State Secretariat on Friday. The Directorate of School Education submitted the proposal, which will be formally notified after consultation with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The 103 schools identified for closure include 72 primary, 28 middle, and three high schools—all of which have no enrolled students. Alongside, 443 schools with extremely low student numbers will be merged with schools located within a radius of two to five kilometres.
The move has rendered 1,120 teachers surplus, who will now be shifted to schools that are currently facing staff shortages.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur stated, “There are 203 primary schools with fewer than five students, which will be merged within a 2-km radius. For 142 primary schools where no other school exists within that range, the merger distance has been extended to 3 km.”
Further restructuring includes the downgrading of 92 middle schools with ten or fewer students and seven high schools with just twenty students. Additionally, 39 high schools with five to ten students will also be downgraded to middle schools. In another move toward efficiency, 78 gender-specific schools at the district and block levels will be merged into co-educational institutions.
The government also plans to downgrade 73 high and senior secondary schools due to low enrollment. Sixteen senior secondary schools with fewer than ten students and 18 with fewer than five students will lose their existing status, and affected students will be accommodated in nearby schools—some located over five kilometres away.
In a bid to hold teachers accountable for academic performance, Thakur announced that educators producing less than 25% results in Classes 10 and 12 board exams will be denied their annual increment. The Directorate of Education has been instructed to compile a list of such teachers, and final action will be decided in the next review meeting scheduled for June 16.
