Bilaspur, January 24, 2026-Education and Printing & Stationery Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Thakur, on Saturday laid the foundation stone of an examination block to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore at Government Senior Secondary School Panjgain under Sadar Sub-Division of Bilaspur district. On this occasion, he also attended the prize distribution ceremony of the school as the chief guest, honoured meritorious students and wished them a bright future.
Addressing the gathering, the Education Minister said that the State Government is committed to developing a quality, inclusive and employment-oriented education system. He informed that in the coming financial year, nearly 17 percent of the total State budget will be spent on the education sector, amounting to more than Rs 10,000 crore. He said that this investment would not only strengthen infrastructure but would also help take academic quality to new heights.
Rohit Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh has continuously progressed in the field of education and has laid a strong foundation. At present, thousands of government educational institutions from primary to senior secondary level are functioning in the State, with a large number of teachers rendering their services. With the objective of better resource utilisation and administrative coordination, the education directorates have been reorganised and separate Directorates of School Education and Higher Education have been established.
He said that in accordance with the National Education Policy, English medium has been implemented in Classes I and II, and from the upcoming academic session, it will be extended to Classes III to V as well, so that students can be made globally competitive.
Emphasising the importance of early childhood education, the Minister said that pre-primary classes are being started in thousands of primary schools across the State and the process of appointing ECCE tutors has already begun. Special curriculum has been developed in collaboration with the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Solan, to make learning more interesting and child-centric.
Calling teachers the backbone of quality education, he said that nearly 8,000 teachers have been recruited in various categories, including a record batch-wise recruitment of 4,000 teachers. He informed that the recruitment process of 937 TGTs has been completed and they will join schools before the next academic session, while 1,800 JBTs will be recruited in a phased manner. In order to strengthen higher education, a proposal for the recruitment of 387 Assistant Professors in colleges has been sent to the Himachal Pradesh State Service Commission.
He said that the rationalisation process is continuously underway to maintain a balanced student-teacher ratio so that adequate teachers can be ensured in high-enrolment schools. Arrangements have also been made for sharing resources such as furniture, sports material, musical instruments and playgrounds among schools for optimal utilisation.
Rohit Thakur said that hundreds of schools across the State have been notified as Institutions of Excellence, where smart classrooms, modern laboratories, digital libraries, virtual classes and innovation-based teaching methods have been adopted. He informed that a smart attendance system has been implemented for teachers and students, strengthening transparency and accountability in administration.
He said that giving priority to teacher training and capacity building, about 33,301 teachers are being trained this year and an assessment-based online course developed in collaboration with Cambridge University is also being launched. In addition, under the international academic exposure programme, hundreds of teachers and meritorious students have been sent abroad to familiarise them with modern global teaching techniques.
Mentioning the “Adopt a School” scheme, the Education Minister said that thousands of schools in the State have been adopted by various officers, resulting in significant improvement in the quality of education and school environment. For children with special needs, posts of special educators have been created to strengthen inclusive education and the school inspection system has been made more effective.
He further said that schools with zero enrolment have been closed or merged with nearby schools to make the education system more practical and robust, and under the Chief Minister’s Bal Poshit Aahar Scheme, nutritious food is being provided to thousands of students. Advisories regarding dress code for teachers have also been issued to develop a disciplined and professional atmosphere in schools.
The Education Minister said that Himachal Pradesh’s ranking in the Performance Grading Index and National Achievement Survey has improved significantly, reflecting the success of the State Government’s education reform policies. He said that through virtual classes, equal opportunities are being provided to students of remote areas, even in subjects like science.
He also informed that with the objective of further strengthening quality education, the State Government has decided to implement the Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum in 130 government schools of Himachal Pradesh. In these schools, CBSE curriculum will be taught from Classes I to XII, connecting students with a nationally competitive and modern education system.
On this occasion, he announced that Government Senior Secondary School Panjgain would be included as a CBSE School of Excellence in the next phase. He also announced Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the school boundary wall and Rs 21,000 for students who presented cultural programmes.
Former MLAs Bambar Thakur and Tilak Raj Sharma, District Congress President Anjana Dhiman, State Child Welfare Committee Member Tripta Thakur, SDM Rajdeep Singh, Zila Parishad Member Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Director Higher Education Renu Kaushal, Deputy Deputy Director Nisha Gupta DIET, Deputy Director Elementary Education Naresh Chandel and other officers and dignitaries were present on the occasion.