According to a Unified District Information System for Education report, 6106 government schools in Himachal Pradesh had less than 20 students, including 5113 primary and 993 middle schools.
Also, according to a recent Unified District Information System for Education report, the number ranged from 21 to 60 in 4478 primary and 895 middle schools and from 61 to 100 in 681 primary and 47 middle schools. The state has 18,028 schools, 15,313 of which are government-run. According to the data, there are 65,973 instructors in government schools, with 39,906 male teachers and 26,257 female teachers.
Teachers & Students Ratio
However, it was revealed that 12 primary government schools are operating without a teacher, while 2,969 have one teacher, 5,533 have two instructors, and 1,779 have three teachers. According to the report, 51 middle schools are led by a single teacher, 416 by two teachers, 773 by three teachers, and 701 by four to six teachers. According to the report, one secondary school with a minimum of ten classes is handled by two instructors, ten schools by three teachers, 212 schools by four to six teachers, and 710 schools by seven to ten teachers.
Even in senior secondary schools, there is a teacher shortage:
- 22 schools have four to six instructors.
- 189 have seven to ten teachers.
- 684 has 11 to 15 teachers.
- 981 has more than 15 teachers.
School Infrastructure
Furthermore, despite the fact that there are 63,690 rooms in government schools, seven primary schools are without a room, 338 are operating in one room, 2,495 in two rooms, 4,111 in three rooms, and 3,402 in seven to ten rooms, according to the report.
Meanwhile, three middle schools lack a room, 216 have only one room, 241 have two rooms, 1,111 have three rooms, and 352 have four to six rooms. Secondary and senior secondary schools, which have a minimum of ten and twelve classrooms, are no better. Six secondary schools are administered in a single room, 25 in two rooms, 117 in three rooms, 697 in four to six rooms, and 74 in seven to ten rooms.
Similarly, one senior secondary school in the state operates in a single room, seven in two rooms, seventeen in three rooms, 245 in four to six rooms, 947 in seven to ten rooms, 454 in eleven to fifteen rooms, and only 205 in more than fifteen rooms. Schools have been established following the criteria of the Right to Education Act. According to the laws, there must be a primary school within 1.5 kilometres for school-age children, but due to the difficult demography and topography of the hill state, the number of students is low, but they must be taught.
Shortage Of Teachers
However, according to education department officials, teachers’ rationalism is a problem. According to them, the student-teacher ratio in primary schools is 14.68, 12.09 in middle schools, 10.38 in secondary schools, and 12.31 in senior secondary schools. According to them, general enrolment is 100% or higher in primary, middle, and secondary schools, and 90% in senior secondary schools, with a dropout rate of 0% in primary and elementary schools and 1.47% in secondary schools.
Enrollments In Govt Schools
- According to the report, the state government’s continued efforts to shift students from public to private schools have achieved dividends, as public school enrollment climbed by 37,952 during 2021-2022.
- However, enrolment in all schools in the state fell by 1,067 students, compared to a reduction of 26,154 in 2020-21.
- The total enrolment in all schools fell from 13,33,315 to 13,32,148, although enrollment in the 15,313 government schools increased from 7.93,358 to 8,31,310 in 2021-22.
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