Himachal Pradesh Merges 38 Schools, Converts 21 More to Create 40 Co-ed Institutions

The Himachal Pradesh government has merged 38 separate boys’ and girls’ schools into 19 co-educational institutions and converted 21 exclusive boys’ and girls’ schools into co-ed schools, taking the total number of newly formed co-educational institutions to 40.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the move is aimed at ensuring higher enrolment and better utilisation of teachers and infrastructure.

Administrative Restructuring

Following the merger:

• The principal of the designated lead school (for CBSE-affiliated institutions) will head the resultant co-educational school.
• Teaching and non-teaching staff of the merged schools will function under the administrative control of the principal of the new institution.

The announcement was made after a departmental review meeting held in Shimla.

39 Zero-Enrolment Schools to Be De-Notified

The minister also stated that 39 schools with zero enrolment would soon be de-notified as part of the rationalisation exercise.

To address concerns of accessibility, he directed that students who are required to travel more than 2 km due to the restructuring must be provided transit allowance without delay.

College Mergers Planned

Colleges with enrolment below 100 students will also be merged to optimise resources and manpower. Staff from these institutions will be adjusted in other colleges as per requirement.

Rohit Thakur clarified that:

• Vocational courses will not be affected.
• Future teacher recruitment will continue.
• Service security of existing staff will remain intact.

“No employee will lose employment as a result of these reforms,” he emphasised.

Academic Leadership & Recruitment Reforms

To strengthen academic leadership, the department has been directed to organise induction training programmes for newly promoted principals, based on modules prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

The minister also instructed officials to expedite the filling of vacant posts to prevent disruption in academic activities. Additionally, he ordered that the lower age limit of 23 years for teacher recruitment be waived, with necessary action to be taken accordingly.

The restructuring reflects the state government’s broader push for rationalisation of educational institutions amid resource constraints while aiming to improve efficiency and enrolment levels.

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