Himachal Pradesh: 50 government-school students embark on tour to Singapore, Cambodia

SHIMLA: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday flagged-off a group of 50 meritorious students for an 11-day academic tour to Cambodia and Singapore from his official residence here. The students will during the visit explore historical landmarks and gain insights into the cultural heritage, architecture, science and technological advancements of both countries.

They will return to India on February 17, a statement issued here said. The Himachal Pradesh chief minister also distributed tablets and travel kits to the students before their departure. Interacting with them, Sukhu asked how many were visiting Delhi for the first time and recalled his first trip to the national capital when he was a college student.

Encouraging the students, the chief minister shared his own experience of studying in a government school and said that they could achieve any goal with hard work and dedication.

"Children are the future of the country. Their dreams, education and knowledge would contribute to making India a strong and developed nation. This journey was not just a tour but a valuable opportunity to learn and develop a broader global perspective," Sukhu said.

Around 100 meritorious students, including orphans, would be sent on a similar foreign tour next year, he added. The chief minister said that the state government was committed to support orphaned children and had adopted them as 'Children of the State' besides taking legal responsibility for their education and welfare until the age of 27.

'60% of the education budget remained unutilized'

Sukhu said the present state government is giving top priority to the education sector and several key decisions have been taken to improve its quality. He added that many more schemes would be introduced in the upcoming budget to bring revolutionary changes in the education and health facilities.

The high-level training for teachers from the best institutions in the country was being arranged to enhance the quality of education and 200 teachers were sent on an exposure visit to Singapore to adopt global best practices in education.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur said that 60 per cent of the education budget remained unutilized during the BJP's tenure, whereas the present state government had successfully utilized over 95 per cent of the budget within two years. He said that to address the shortage of teachers, more than 3,000 teachers had been recruited through a batch-wise process and the remaining posts were being filled through the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog.

He assured that no school would remain without a teacher by March 31. The minister said that Cambodia was chosen for the visit as it was home to the world's largest Hindu temple and several other significant historical sites.

Smriti Jaryal from Chamba, one of the selected students, while expressing her gratitude said she had never imagined that she would get the opportunity to travel abroad and felt fortunate to be part of this initiative, the statement added.