125 HP schools have no teacher, 2,600 just 1

As many as 125 schools in Himachal are without a teacher while 2,600 have just one.

However, the number of schools having no teacher or just one has been on the decline for the past two years.

“When our government took over in 2022, the number of schools without a teacher was around 350, and 3,400 schools had just a single teacher. Through rationalisation and recruitments, we have managed to significantly reduce the number of such schools,” said Education Minister Rohit Thakur.

Situation better than before

When our government took over in 2022, the number of schools without a teacher was around 350, and 3,400 schools had just a single teacher. Rohit Thakur, education minister

All these schools are in the primary and upper primary categories. Ashish Kohli, Director, Elementary Education, said such schools were being managed through deputation of teachers. “We have initiated a rationalisation process. We are identifying schools where we’ve surplus teachers. The extra teachers will be sent to these schools, and that will address the problem to a large extent,” said Kohli.

The Director said a majority of these schools had low enrolment. Over the past two years, the government has either denotified or merged 1,194 schools having zero enrolment or low enrolment. “Of these 1,194 schools, 675 had zero enrolment, and others had a low enrolment. By shutting down such unviable schools, the government managed to send hundreds of teachers deputed in these schools to the schools where they were actually needed,” said Thakur.

Thakur claimed that the closure or merger of these schools had not affected the students, as alleged by the BJP. “There were around 670 students in the denotified or merged schools, and over 90 per cent of these students have taken admission in adjoining schools. A few students who did not take admissions are mostly children of migrant labourers in Shimla district, who may have gone elsewhere,” said the Education Minister.

Thakur said, “Central bodies like the Niti Ayog and the Finance Commission have also been suggesting the consolidation of resources. Most states, regardless of which party is in power there, are focusing on consolidation to provide quality education.”