Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur criticized the BJP
Shimla: In response to criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rohit Thakur, the education minister for Himachal Pradesh, defended Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu‘s recent private trip to the Maldives on Tuesday.
The CM has been accused by the opposition of traveling abroad at the government’s cost, but Thakur denied these allegations, claiming that the BJP’s comments show a limited perspective.
“BJP leaders should avoid making needless remarks during the Chief Minister’s private visit. Do leaders of the BJP never take personal vacations? Speaking to the media report, Thakur added, “Their statements only reflect their narrow mentality.”
Thakur further underlined that Himachal Pradesh’s education system has had worldwide exposure, with both professors and students traveling abroad to enhance the quality of instruction.
“Previously, vote-bank-driven programs only allowed politicians and bureaucrats to go abroad. Nonetheless, we have made sure that educators and learners have the chance. About 150 teachers are traveling overseas this year, after 118 went overseas for educational opportunities last year. “These educational exposure trips are helping students from all over the state, including those in remote areas,” he said.
The state’s financial problem was also discussed by the education minister, who noted that the present administration inherited a significant debt load from the former BJP government.
“The state was required to pay interest on loans taken out by the previous BJP administration, totaling Rs 18,000 crore. The BJP administration unveiled plans costing hundreds of crores and took out more debts in 2022, its last year in office. Because of the BJP’s rule, Himachal Pradesh is presently in debt to the tune of Rs 75,000 crore. We have yet to get Rs 9,500 crore in post-disaster assessment money, despite our financial difficulties,” Thakur said.
In addition, he attacked the BJP for not backing Himachal Pradesh in spite of its assertions of a “double-engine government.”
“Financial assistance was better during the twin-engine administration. We have already lost Rs 15,000 crore, and the BJP has to put the welfare of the state ahead of party politics. Instead of playing politics, we hope the central government supports Himachal’s growth,” he said. Thakur also discussed the state government’s important educational reforms.
“The next session will include a presentation of all budget-related information. We have steadily improved the education department over the last two years. Beginning in 2023, the consolidation process is being extended. We concentrated on basic education in the first phase, and we are now working on higher education, which includes senior secondary schools and colleges,” he said.
To increase efficiency, the government de-notified and combined under-enrolled schools. 675 schools with no students were among the 1,094 primary schools that were de-notified in 2023–2024. Comparably, several senior high schools only have 25 pupils in Class 12, and 21 universities have less than 100 students. The Cabinet will be presented with a proposal to combine these schools with other local establishments and turn them into high schools, Thakur said. Citing its effect on kids’ education, he also declared that the prohibition on teacher transfers will remain in place.
“Students’ learning is directly impacted by teacher moves. Because pupils were left without instructors, mid-session transfers used to result in a drop in the quality of instruction. Mid-session transfers have been halted to avoid this,” he said. In order to improve elementary education, the government is also employing nursery-trained teachers (NTTs).
“The process of hiring new NTTs for elementary schools has started. Additionally, we are improving a number of educational initiatives,” Thakur said. Thakur emphasized the accomplishments of the “Star Project,” which was started in 2020 when the BJP was in power but was not fully exploited.
“Only 15% of the project budget was used throughout the BJP administration, and it never went beyond 60% in a single year. However, we have used 75% of the money in the last two years under our administration, which has improved the quality of education and directly benefited children,” Thakur said.
Despite budgetary difficulties, the Himachal Pradesh government hopes to enhance the quality of education and guarantee effective use of resources with these measures.
