A total of 419 government schools in Himachal Pradesh with five or fewer students have been merged with nearby schools, as announced by Education Minister Rohit Thakur in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday.

This decision was made to optimize teacher deployment, Thakur explained in response to a query by BJP member Vipin Parmar, which was raised by Rakesh Jamwal during the ‘Question Hour.’

Specifically, 361 primary schools with fewer than five students were merged with schools within a 2-km radius, while 58 middle schools were merged with schools within a 3-km distance, the minister said.

Thakur highlighted a decline in government school enrollment over the past two decades, attributing it to a preference for private schools and the establishment of private schools near existing government ones. Additionally, migration from rural to urban areas has contributed to lower enrollment in rural government schools.

He shared statistics showing that the number of students in primary schools (up to Class 5) dropped from 90 lakh in 2003 to 2.99 lakh in 2023. Middle school enrollment (Classes 6 to 8) also declined from 3.81 lakh to 2.50 lakh during the same period.

In government senior secondary schools, the number of students decreased from 1.84 lakh to 1.34 lakh between 2003 and 2023, and Thakur warned that the situation could worsen over the next decade.

According to the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), Himachal Pradesh has slipped to 21st place, with Class 8 students now struggling to read Class 2-level books.

In a cabinet meeting on July 25, the state cabinet decided to close 89 government primary schools and 10 government middle schools with zero enrollments, and approved the merger of schools with five or fewer students within a 2- to 3-km radius.

Source: PTI

Also read: Himachal Pradesh: 102 teachers to visit Singapore on ‘education visit’