Education minister slams BJP’s ‘neglect’ while Congress works to restore educational standards
Shimla, 22 August: Education Minister Rohit Thakur has sharply criticized the previous BJP government for its handling of Himachal Pradesh’s education system, calling it a ‘sad legacy’ which the Congress government is now tasked to fix.
Thakur revealed that the State Selection Commission is going ahead with filling 2,800 teaching posts, with 700 lecturer posts close to being finalized. Additionally, the government has appointed 95 college principals and 483 assistant professors and plans to recruit 6,200 NTT teachers soon. These steps are aimed at addressing the severe educational crisis left behind by the previous government.
The education minister said the education system witnessed a dramatic decline under the BJP rule and further added that the National Achievement Survey 2021 has ranked Himachal Pradesh a dismal 21st nationally, a sharp decline from its previous educational excellence. This drop has also been accompanied by a sharp drop in student enrollment, with the number of first-grade students falling to just 49,295.
The research highlights that systemic issues such as teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure have long plagued the state’s education sector. When the Congress assumed power, it inherited a situation of 350 schools without any teachers, 3,200 schools with only one teacher and 15,000 vacancies in the education department. In addition, 90 per cent of colleges were running without principals and promotions to these posts were frozen.
In response, the Congress government has initiated several major reforms, including the closure of 300 schools with zero student enrolment, Thakur said and added that teachers from these schools are being redeployed in more influential roles. The new measures also include a cluster system within a 500-metre radius, the introduction of English medium education from Class 1 and the introduction of smart classrooms.
Thakur also pointed fingers at former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and held him responsible for the deterioration in education due to his indifferent attitude. He argued that the failures of the former government set the stage for the crisis, which the Congress government is now working hard to resolve.
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