Schools cluster system, a landmark initiative in imparting quality education

, SHIMLA-05 Jan'2026-The Government of Himachal Pradesh has formally implemented its pioneering ‘School Cluster System’ across the state, marking a significant step toward ending the long-standing isolation of rural standalone schools. The initiative aims to ensure equitable access to quality education for every child, regardless of their geographical location or the size of their local school.

Under the strategic resource consolidation and infrastructure framework, every Senior Secondary School will play the role of a leading School and all the adjoining 7 to 8 High, Middle and Primary Schools have been brought under the overall administrative control of the Principal of concerned leading School. The Principals have been entrusted the responsibility of quality improvement right from Pre-Primary up to 12th class.

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that the State has a total of 1968 School Clusters across the state. Under the initiative the schools within a complex/cluster are sharing resources jointly allowing students from smaller satellite schools to benefit from advanced facilities at the Hub schools, including modern ICT laboratories, well-equipped science labs, libraries and multi-purpose sports complexes.

“By adopting this Hub-and-Spoke model, the state seeks to provide a resource-rich, high-quality educational experience to every child, bridging the gap between remote rural schools and larger urban institutions,” stated Sh. Sukhu.

The Chief Minister recalled that when the present government came to power, many schools had very low enrollment. During the previous BJP tenure, multiple buildings and institutions were constructed without scientific planning, putting a huge burden on the State exchequer.

Streamlining the same the government either denotified or merged the schools. As many as 17 Primary Schools & 20 Middle Schools having enrollment of ten or less, were opened during the last six months of the previous government, reportedly for political purposes only.

The current government conducted a comprehensive review and carried out school consolidation and restructuring. As a result till December 31, 2025, around 770 primary and middle schools having zero enrollments have been denotified and 532 primary and middle schools having enrollment less than 5 and another school within 2 to 3 Kms have been merged with the nearby Schools. In addition to this, 21 Senior Secondary Schools & 21 High Schools have also been downgraded/denotified due to their low enrollment.

It was observed that in some schools, four to five teachers were appointed, while the student strength was two or fewer. “The education system had completely collapsed during the BJP regime,” he reiterated. The BJP opened 14 Government Senior Secondary Schools & 15 Govt High Schools with fewer enrollment in the last six months of their rule, calling it a misuse of public funds, which were denotified.

The present government focused on structural efficiency rather than merely constructing new schools. The merger and rationalization model ensured better teacher-to-student ratios and concentrated access to resources such as smart classrooms and laboratories at effective locations. Teachers were redeployed from overstaffed urban schools to remote areas, ensuring that vacancies were filled according to actual student needs.

English has been introduced as a medium of instruction from Grade I, bridging the perceived gap between government and private education. The phased rollout of modern Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools in every assembly constituency would further raise the standard of public education infrastructure. The state also initiated exposure visits for selected teachers and students to international institutions to adopt global best practices.

As a result of these measures, Himachal Pradesh achieved a remarkable improvement in the National Achievement Survey (NAS), rising from 21st to 5th position in June 2025.

Through the School Cluster System, the Government of Himachal Pradesh is modernizing education, strengthening community bonds, and promoting holistic development among students, thereby laying a strong foundation for the state’s future generations.

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Record 980 compassionate appointments made :CM

Govt ensuring timely support and dignity to deserving families

In a significant reform-oriented move under 'Vyavastha Parivartan', Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today stated that 980 pending compassionate appointment cases have been cleared by the present government, strengthening social security and providing timely support to the families of deceased government employees.

These appointments, spanning across Class-III JOA (IT) and Class-IV Multi-Task Workers (MTWs) categories were processed during a special relaxation period from 1^st October 2025, to 31^st December 2025. The Chief Minister said that "this initiative comes straight from the heart, driven by compassion, to bring immediate financial relief and restore dignity to the families who have long waited, often in pain and uncertainty for the justice they so rightly deserve."

The Chief Minister said that out of the total 980 such cleared cases, 366 have been appointed to Class-III positions and 614 to Class-IV as MTWs in different departments. The highest number of appointments were made in the Jal Shakti Vibhag where 419 jobs were given on compassionate ground providing relief to the families who were awaiting appointments since long. In Jal Shakti 100 were given appointment as JOA (IT) and 319 in Class-IV.

This was followed by the Public Works Department (PWD) with 175 appointments and the Education Department with 128 appointments given. In PWD 15 were given appointments as JOA (IT) and 160 as MTWs. Similarly, in education 108 were appointed as JOA (IT) and 20 as class IV. The Chief Minister emphasized that the state government prioritized these departments to address the largest backlogs and ensure that no family is left in the lurch due to procedural delays.

Reaffirming the government's commitment to every sector, a comprehensive breakdown of the appointments across 19 departments were made as a part of Guarantee of the government to provide jobs to the needy.

As many as 75 appointments were made in the Home Department viz: 52 Class III in Police and 23 in Home guards. In the Health & Family Welfare Department 34 appointments were made with 23 as class III and 11 as MTWs, in Ayush department 14 appointments were made (6 class III and 8 as MTWs). Similarly in Agriculture department nine were given appointments as MTWs.

In Animal Husbandry department 56 were given appointments which includes 11 as JOAs and 45 as class IV. Apart from this five were given jobs in horticulture, four in Prisons, 23 in fire services (19 as Class III and 4 as class IV). In Rural development department 6 such appointments were made on compassionate grounds wherein in Revenue department 14 appointments were cleared.

In addition to this, four appointments were made in Social Justice and Empowerment (WCD), 20 in urban development, as many as 13 in HPTDC which includes 12 as MTWs, one each in Tribal development and prosecution and 2 such appointments were cleared in Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC)

Chief Minister took a strong dig at the previous BJP government for turning a blind eye to the families of deceased government employees who were eligible for compassionate appointments. He said that years of neglect had left these families struggling for justice and basic social security, exposing their suffering to unnecessary delay. He criticized this apathy as a grave failure of BJP governance and emphasized that his administration was committed to correct these wrongs, ensuring that deserving families are given timely support and dignity.

The Chief Minister concluded by stating that his government is dedicated to restoring self esteem of those who served the state. He reiterated that this is not just an administrative achievement but a step towards fulfillment of promise that the present government stands firmly with the common man in times of grief.

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CM mourns demise of Ex- MLA

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has mourned the demise of former MLA Bhagat Ram Chauhan, who passed away today after prolonged illness.

The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences with the bereaved family members. He said that Bhagat Ram Chauhan had played significant role in the development of the Kumarsain area of Shimla district and his contributions would always be remembered by people of the area.

He prayed to the Almighty to give peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.

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CM reviews Milkfed functioning, announces support for dairy farmers

· Directs strengthening of Milkfed activities

· Dhangwar milk plant to provide economic support to dairy farmers: CM

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today here chaired a review meeting of Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited (Milkfed). He directed the officers to further strengthen the functioning of the Milkfed. He said that milk procurement and other related data in all milk plants of the state should be maintained through an online system.

He said that proper measures must be ensured to maintain quality standards in all Milkfed products. Reviewing the construction work of the Dhangwar milk plant, the Chief Minister said that it would provide economic support to farmers of Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba and Una districts.

Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu instructed Milkfed to work with a competitive market-oriented approach, stating that Himachal’s products have a distinct identity across the country. He said that all essential posts in milk plants and the Federation would be filled on priority to ensure smooth and systematic functioning.

The Chief Minister also directed a review of all Milkfed milk bars and asked for greater efficiency in all marketing-related activities. He said that desi ghee produced by Milkfed could also be marketed through the Himira platform.

The Chief Minister said that the state government had increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of cow milk from Rs. 32 to Rs. 51 per litre and buffalo milk from Rs. 47 to Rs. 61 per litre. In addition, the transportation subsidy on milk had been increased from Rs. 1.50 to Rs. 3 per litre. A subsidy of Rs. 3 per litre was also being provided to farmers who transport milk themselves to milk collection centres located beyond two kilometres.

Managing Director Rajesh Sharma gave a detailed presentation on the various activities of the Federation.

Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister (Innovation, Digital Technology and Governance) Gokul Butail, Chairman of Milkfed Buddhi Singh Thakur, Principal Secretary (Finance) Devesh Kumar, non-official members and other senior officers were present in the meeting.