Enrolment in HP’s govt primary schools dropped by 50 pc from 2003-04 to 2023-24

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.

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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Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the ‘Mere Shahar Ke 100 Ratna’ program on Saturday. This initiative aims to provide free coaching for various competitive examinations to 6,800 students across Himachal Pradesh.

Under the program, CRACK Academy will offer free coaching to 100 meritorious students from each Assembly constituency, with an estimated investment of Rs 34 crore. To ensure a fair selection process, tests will be conducted in schools and colleges within each constituency, allowing students from Class VI and above to participate.

The top 100 students from each constituency will receive free coaching, while the next 200 students will receive a 75 per cent concession, and the following 500 students will receive a 50 percent concession. The Academy will provide guidance and support to these students until they achieve their goals.

The state government will fully support CRACK Academy in successfully implementing this initiative. The Academy will prepare the test papers, while the Education Department will oversee the administration of examinations.

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To raise awareness among students and parents, the Chief Minister also launched a major awareness campaign. The program was initially piloted in the Jawalamukhi Assembly constituency of Kangra district, where students from 50 schools participated. Currently, 220 selected students from Jawalamukhi are receiving merit-based coaching under this scheme.

The Chief Minister stated, “This initiative will not only benefit talented students but also create employment opportunities in the state.” CRACK Academy plans to establish over 90 coaching centres, which will directly employ 5,000 people while also generating additional indirect employment opportunities.

Additionally, the Academy will invest Rs 1.5 crore for the renovation and maintenance of the library at Ridge, Shimla.

Gujarat’s lone Muslim MLA flags ‘insulting’ references to his religion in Assembly

Cities6 hr ago

Congress MLA from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur constituency Imran Khedawala – the only Muslim legislator in Gujarat Assembly – sought protection from the Speaker against alleged “insulting” references made towards him by members of the ruling BJP while referring to him as a person “from a specific community”.

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