Enrolment in Himachal Pradesh's govt primary schools dropped by 50% over the past 20 years

SHIMLA: The enrolment in government primary schools in Himachal Pradesh dropped by 50 per cent over the past 20 years, from 2003-04 to 2023-24, Education Minister Rohit Thakur informed the state assembly during the question hour on Saturday.

In response to questions from BJP’s Pawan Kajal and Randhir Sharma, Congress’ Rakesh Kalia said that enrollment in 12,404 schools was 9.71 lakh in 2003-04, which dropped to 4,29,070 in 2023-24, despite a reduction in the number of schools. However, the teacher-student ratio improved from 1:22 to 1:11, which is the highest in the country, with the ratio in tribal areas being 1:3.

He also mentioned that 3,450 teachers have been recruited in batches over the past two years and assured that maximum appointments would be made in schools where posts are vacant.

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In response to a question from BJP’s Deep Raj regarding the establishment of a fruit processing plant, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi informed the House that there are eight fruit processing units in the state. A total of 60 training camps have been organised for fruit growers, he said.

Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed the House that glaciers are shrinking in the state, and the area under glaciers has reduced by 2.4 per cent. In response to a question from Congress' Anuradha Rana, he stated that the area under glaciers has decreased by 3.2 percent in the Bhaga basin, 2.4 percent in the Spiti and Chandra basins, and has shrunk to 376 square kilometers in Myar, which is a matter of grave concern.