Amid growing concerns over skewed workload distribution in government senior secondary schools, the Himachal Pradesh Directorate of School Education has issued fresh instructions mandating that school lecturers (School New) also teach classes from VI to X in addition to their existing responsibilities in classes XI and XII. The directive, sent on Thursday to all Deputy Directors and heads of institutions, has emphasised strict compliance with immediate effect.
According to the Directorate, this move aligns with the Recruitment and Promotion (R&P) Rules and the Education Code, which state that lecturers are eligible to teach both postgraduate-level content in higher classes and graduate-level subjects in lower classes. However, it has been observed that many lecturers are currently teaching only in classes XI and XII, a practice the department says is inconsistent with their terms of appointment.
“The principal of the school has the administrative authority to assign teaching duties as per institutional needs. Assigning lower classes to school lecturers is not only valid but necessary to meet academic requirements,” said the Director of School Education. He further stated that this restructuring is in line with the National Education Policy-2020, which promotes integrated planning and optimal use of subject expertise to enhance academic outcomes.
The Directorate has also cautioned against any deviation from this directive without valid justification, warning that such cases will invite administrative action. All schools have been told to ensure uniform workload distribution among teaching staff to improve overall results and learning standards.
However, the Himachal Pradesh School Spokesperson Association has opposed the move, calling it “unfortunate” and “against the subject specialisation” of lecturers. The association members have argued that school lecturers are appointed to teach one specific subject, often at the senior secondary level, and involving them in lower classes disrupts this specialisation.
A delegation from the association is preparing to meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to demand the withdrawal of the order. The association maintains that the new mandate undermines years of subject-specific teaching and will affect the quality of education in higher classes.
As the state government pushes for reform aligned with NEP-2020, the directive has sparked a fresh debate on balancing administrative needs with subject specialisation and workload management in schools.
