Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the recruitment process for 3,468 teaching posts in CBSE-affiliated government schools is underway as part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen school education and transform Himachal Pradesh into a leading education hub.
Chairing a review meeting of the Education Department, the Minister said requisitions for 2,668 regular teaching posts across 19 categories have already been forwarded to the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog, Hamirpur. In addition, 800 temporary teachers in English and Mathematics are being engaged to improve academic standards in CBSE-affiliated schools.
He said recruitment for teachers in Sanskrit, Physical Education, Music, Drawing, Science, Commerce, Economics, Political Science, History, Hindi, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science, Fine Arts and Public Administration would also be completed shortly.
146 Government Schools Receive CBSE Affiliation
Reviewing the CBSE school initiative, the Minister informed that approval had been granted to 158 government schools, of which 146 have already secured CBSE affiliation.
To strengthen teaching in these schools, the government engaged 400 English and 400 Mathematics teachers on a temporary basis. So far, 292 English teachers and 284 Mathematics teachers have joined their respective schools.
Over 9,300 Students Receive Tablets
Reviewing the implementation of the Dr. Y.S. Parmar Digital Student Scheme, Rohit Thakur said 9,359 students have been provided tablets during the last three academic sessions. He directed officials to ensure that all remaining eligible students receive the benefit through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode without delay.
The Minister said all government schools in the state have now been integrated with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. He added that, for the first time, approval has been secured for replacement of computers in 524 government schools.
He further informed that BSNL has finalised the networking tender for 777 government schools, which is expected to significantly improve digital connectivity and technology-enabled learning.
Recruitment Drives Gain Momentum
Reviewing recruitment and service-related matters, the Minister directed officials to provide a second opportunity to SMC teachers who could not qualify in the first attempt and dispose of all pending service-related cases on priority.
He said counselling for Shastri posts has been completed and appointment letters have been issued to 191 selected candidates.
The recruitment process for 870 Physical Education Teacher (PET) posts has also been initiated, while counselling for 355 posts has already been completed.
The meeting was informed that 486 Lecturer (Physical Education) posts have been created and approval has been sought for filling another 112 posts.
The Minister also reviewed the recruitment of Multi Task Workers, stating that 6,703 out of the 8,000 sanctioned posts have already been filled.
PM POSHAN Audit and Student Loan Scheme Reviewed
Reviewing the social audit of the PM POSHAN scheme, officials informed the Minister that the State Social Audit Unit had completed audits in 503 schools during 2025-26. He directed all districts to submit Action Taken Reports at the earliest and implement corrective measures wherever required.
The Minister also reviewed the Dr. Y.S. Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojana, under which eligible students can avail education loans of up to ₹20 lakh at just one per cent interest. He directed the Higher Education Department to simplify the scheme to make it more accessible.
₹19 Crore Released for School Restoration
Rohit Thakur said the state government has released ₹19 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) and HIMUDA for repair and reconstruction of schools damaged during the 2023 and 2025 natural disasters. He added that ₹101 crore has been approved for restoration works, while another ₹80 crore is yet to be received.
He instructed officials to complete all pending formalities to expedite restoration of educational infrastructure.
Focus on AI University, Weather Alerts and Monitoring
The Minister directed officials to operationalise non-functional Kendriya Vidyalayas at the earliest and develop an effective mechanism for issuing timely weather advisories to schools. He also asked the department to create awareness about the Government of India Teacher Award-2026 to encourage greater participation from Himachal Pradesh.
The meeting also reviewed the proposal for establishing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) University in the state and measures for identifying and mainstreaming out-of-school children.
Advocating greater use of technology in governance, Rohit Thakur suggested adopting online inspection mechanisms through WhatsApp and Google Meet, on the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir, to strengthen monitoring, improve administrative efficiency and reduce delays in decision-making.
