There is not a single student in 80 primary and secondary schools of Himachal. During the current academic session, not a single student has taken admission here. These figures have come to light in the meeting of the Directorate of School Education held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Education Minister Rohit Thakur. In the meeting, it has been decided to close these schools. Apart from this, 87 schools for girls and boys with less number of students will be merged and converted into co-education schools. It will start from the nearest schools. In one such school, co-education classes from first to tenth will be run, and in the other school, there will be classes of eleventh and twelfth.
The teachers and non-teachers working in the schools that will be closed will be included in the surplus pool and transferred to other educational institutions. It was decided in the meeting that the status of high and senior secondary schools with student strength up to ten will be reduced. High and senior secondary schools with 20 to 25 students will be accommodated within a radius of five kilometers.
Information about such schools has been sought from the Deputy Directors within a week. Many teachers who went to Singapore on an educational tour shared their experiences in the meeting. In the meeting, most of the education deputy directors said that there are many such schools in their districts, where there was no admission this time. According to the information given from all the districts, the number of such schools across the state was found to be around 80.
The review meeting, which started at 11 am on Wednesday, continued till around 7.30 pm. Education Minister Rohit Thakur said in the meeting that the process of converting boys and girls schools into co-education schools will start from his assembly constituency, Jubbal-Kotkhai. Officials said that the status of high schools with fewer than 10 students will be reduced to middle schools.
A decision was also taken to prepare separate rules for merging the schools of tribal areas of the state with less number of students. Transport allowance will be given to the students in these areas. The Education Minister directed the departmental officials to prepare a proposal in this regard soon.