Education Secretary takes feedback on cluster complex system from principals, head teachers

Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar took feedback on the newly introduced cluster complex system from 917 principals, headmasters, Block Elementary Education Officers (BEEOs) and Centre Head Teachers from Kangra district during a district-level conference held in Dharamsala on Saturday.

Kangra is the third district after Shimla and Chamba where such an extensive consultation has been held.

The aim of the interaction organised at the auditorium of Government College, Dharamsala, was to take suggestions and understand challenges faced by the school heads as the state undertakes a major restructuring of its education administration. Under the new system, the principal of a senior secondary school will supervise all primary, middle and high schools within the cluster to ensure better coordination, academic monitoring and improved learning outcomes.

Kanwar gave a patient hearing to the school heads, who raised concerns, sought clarifications and offered suggestions during the question-answer session. Babita Pathania, head of Government School, Sehwan in Rait block, was among those who interacted directly with the Education Secretary. She highlighted the delay in payments from amalgamated funds. The Education Secretary acknowledged the issue and issued directions for its immediate resolution.

The Directorate of Education was restructured in April 2025 by merging the Directorate of Elementary Education (pre-nursery to Class VIII) and the Directorate of Higher Education (Class IX to college level) into one organisation. The aim of the exercise was to streamline administration and remove long-standing overlaps in responsibilities.

To ensure a smooth rollout, the department had issued detailed guidelines in September, 2025, outlining the roles of the principals, BEEOs and Centre Head Teachers within the cluster system. The ongoing district-level meetings are part of the department’s efforts to communicate these changes directly to field officials.

Director of Education Ashish Kohli, while speaking to The Tribune on the side lines of the conference, said, “The principal of a senior secondary school has been made the in-charge of all primary, middle and high schools under his cluster. The primary aim of the initiative is to improve learning outcomes and ensure seamless transition for students, especially from Class V to VI. We are visiting every district to ensure its successful implementation on the ground level.”