100 schools to be shut, 400 merged in Himachal, proposal forwarded

The Directorate of School Education has sent a comprehensive proposal to the government to denotify and merge schools with low enrolment. The department has proposed to denotify over 100 schools in the primary and upper primary section, while the number of schools recommended for merger with the nearby schools is over 400. Education Minister Rohit Thakur will take the final decision on the matter.

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The minister, in a review meeting of the department a couple of weeks back, had asked deputy directors to identify schools with low enrolment in their respective districts and submit the detailed information by May 25. The department has sent the proposal for de-notification and merger of such schools on the basis of the reports submitted by the deputy directors.

In the proposal, the Directorate has recommended the immediate de-notification of 72 primary schools and 28 upper primary schools having zero notification as on April 21, 2025. The number of schools recommended for mergers is over 400. The department has identified 203 primary schools with enrolment less than or up to five as on April 21, and has recommended its merger with the nearest school having enrolment more than five and falling within the radius of 2 km. The department has also recommended merger of 142 primary schools having enrolment of just one or two students.

Besides, the government has recommended the merge of Government Middle Schools having enrolment 1-10. These schools can be merged with the nearest middle, high or senior secondary school having enrolment more than 10. Besides, 24 middle schools having just one or two students may be merged with nearest school. The department has also sent a proposal for downgrading some schools with inadequate enrolment.

It may be mentioned that the government has already denotified and merged over 1200 schools having zero or inadequate enrolment. Apart from consolidation through de-notification and merger of schools, the government is trying to rationalization of resources by deploying the teachers freed up from such institutions in the schools where there’s a shortage of teachers.