Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to de-notify 39 government schools with zero enrolment and merge colleges where student strength is below 100 as part of a wider rationalisation exercise in the education sector.
The decision was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Education Minister Rohit Thakur, who directed officials to expedite reforms aimed at improving academic standards and optimising resources.
The Minister said that the move is intended to ensure better use of infrastructure and manpower in government institutions. He added that 38 boys’ and girls’ schools have already been merged and converted into co-educational institutions. Students who are required to travel more than two kilometres due to these changes will be provided transit allowance without delay.
Colleges with enrolment below 100 students will be merged with nearby institutions, and teaching as well as non-teaching staff will be adjusted according to requirements. Thakur clarified that vocational courses, future teacher recruitment and the service security of existing employees will not be affected. “No employee will lose employment due to these reforms,” he stated.
The Minister also directed the department to prepare a proposal for merging non-CBSE schools to further streamline the system. He asked officials to fill vacant posts at the earliest and organise induction training for newly promoted principals to strengthen academic leadership.
The government maintains that the restructuring exercise will help improve efficiency, reduce duplication of resources and enhance the overall quality of education in the state.
