Himachal School Education Board Faces Severe Financial Crisis with ₹87 Crore Dues Pending

Prolonged delays have undermined the board’s financial stability and disrupted its operations.

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBoSE), Dharamshala, is facing a serious financial crunch as nearly ₹87 crore remains pending with the Directorate of School Education, Shimla, for the publication of textbooks and question papers for Classes 9 and 10 over the past three years.

The delay in the release of funds has severely affected the board’s ability to meet essential obligations, including payment of salaries and pensions, as well as managing core academic activities such as printing new textbooks.

A senior official said the board’s annual budget is estimated at ₹150 crore, of which more than half is currently withheld by the Directorate of Education. The monthly expenditure on salaries, pensions, and other administrative costs is around ₹5 crore, the official added.

Sunil Sharma, president of the Education Board Employees’ Union, said the dues have been pending for three years and the situation has now become critical.

According to board records, ₹23.59 crore for textbooks supplied during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic sessions is yet to be paid, in addition to ₹55 crore due for the ongoing year’s textbook publications. The Directorate has also not released ₹8 crore for question papers for Classes 3, 4, 8, 9, and 11.

The prolonged delay has directly impacted the board’s financial stability and its ability to function smoothly. Even payments to teachers handling examination duties have been delayed, leading to growing discontent among teaching staff.

Some teachers’ unions have reportedly started refusing exam duty assignments over unpaid dues, further deepening the crisis. The board—responsible for conducting examinations and supplying textbooks to government schools—is now struggling to meet its monthly expenditure, including staff salaries and pension disbursements.

The Employees’ Union has warned that if the government fails to release the pending ₹87 crore soon, it will be forced to launch an agitation.

The board currently has 350 employees and 450 pensioners, many of whom fear that their salaries and pensions could be affected in the coming months if the state government continues to delay payment.

Board chairman Dr. Rajesh Kumar said the matter has been raised with the state government and expressed hope that the funds will be released soon.