Himachal Pradesh: Info tabled in assembly session reveals glaring shortcomings in government schools and colleges

Nearly 10,000 out of around 51,000 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff in government senior secondary schools are lying vacant, including 319 posts of principals and 187 posts of science teachers.

poor facilities at govt schools in Dhalluwala, government schoool in himanchal pradesh, no electricity at government schools, Winter Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, indian express news

More than 300 schools in the state have no electricity facility. Some have no toilets and rooms while some schools are running without a building. (Representational Image)

Students at village Dhalluwala in Sirmaur have to walk three-and-a-half kilometres to reach their primary school, crossing “dense forests and khads (streams)” on their way, according to an answer tabled in the recently held Winter Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. However, a centre for classes one to three is running in the village under an educational scheme, as per the reply.

Information available through various papers laid in the House during the six-day session reveals glaring shortcomings in government schools and colleges across the hill state. Nearly 10,000 out of around 51,000 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff in government senior secondary schools are lying vacant, including 319 posts of principals and 187 posts of science teachers.

More than 300 schools in the state have no electricity facility. Some have no toilets and rooms while some schools are running without a building. In case of schools without access to electricity, the reply by the government said that process of installing solar power panels at such schools has already begun.

There are a total of 103,314 posts in government primary, middle, high and senior secondary schools in the state out of which more than 16,000 are lying vacant, according to the reply to a question asked by Chopal MLA Balbir Singh Verma. Another answer in response to Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari’s query stated that nearly 1,800 posts of physical education teachers and 1,600 posts of drawing masters are lying vacant in the state. The reply added that in standalone government middle schools, a standard strength of 100 students is required before the vacancies can be filled.

In Nagrota Bagwan Assembly constituency, eight schools have no toilet while toilets in five other schools need repair. There is also shortage of rooms in three high and senior secondary schools. In Rampur constituency, 11 senior secondary schools are running without principals and six high schools without headmasters. Also, five primary schools are running without a building, and temporarily operating out of community centres or other such buildings, while construction work for two senior secondary schools is yet to begin. In Nalagarh constituency, there are 101 vacancies in schools and colleges while in Chintpurni constituency, the construction of three sanctioned science laboratories is yet to start.

Another reply said that nearly 300 students of government college in Kaffota are facing inconvenience as the college is functioning out of a school while the construction of its own campus has been underway for the last three years. Meanwhile, the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Dodra Kwar is running with 22 vacant posts, including the principal and ten trade instructors. In the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Reckong Peo, six hostels were sanctioned in 2005 but only three were built and the construction of the rest is pending.

“From time to time, the department takes steps to fill vacant posts, but vacancies keep cropping up due to retirements, promotions and opening of new schools,” stated the response of the education department to a question. Other replies said that the department is constantly trying to expedite the construction and repair work as per available resources and provisions.