Education Minister Rohit Thakur said on Thursday that around 1,200 schools have been shut down in Himachal Pradesh in the last two and a half years. Out of these, 450 schools were closed because there were no students, and the remaining schools were merged with others due to low student numbers.

The minister said that the state government is taking several steps to improve the education system. School mergers and reorganisations may also be done if needed. He added that schools with fewer than 25 students from Class 6 to 12 could be merged. Around 100 schools with no students will be officially closed.

He also informed that 778 part-time water carriers working in the Education Department have been made permanent. This is for those who have completed 11 years of service (both part-time and daily wage work) by March 31, 2025. These workers will be appointed to vacant Class 4 posts.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur said that the Himachal Pradesh government has fulfilled many long-pending demands of school staff and is working hard to improve the education system. He said that 15,000 teaching posts have been approved, including 3,900 for primary schools. Also, 3,100 more posts will be filled soon through the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog.

Thakur said that during the previous BJP government, teacher recruitment had almost stopped. But the current government is focused on filling vacancies and strengthening the education sector. To improve early childhood education, the government is appointing 6,200 nursery teachers. The minister also informed that more than 200 acting principals have been made permanent. 483 assistant professors have been recruited in higher education, and 700 school lecturers have been appointed in the last 2.5 years, which is more than the 511 appointed during the full 5 years of the previous government.

He proudly shared that, as per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2025, students in Himachal's government schools are among the best in the country in reading skills. The report also ranks Himachal Pradesh as the top state in school education on most key indicators.

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