Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 8 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday handed over appointment letters to 312 newly selected drawing teachers in a formal ceremony held in Shimla, posted in various schools of the State.
On the occasion, he also gave a send-off to a group of five students from government schools who were embarking on an educational tour to Japan. These students would visit various academic institutions and historical sites across Japan.
During the event, the Chief Minister launched several educational initiatives, including the student-centric news platform edsk Express, Baseline School Ranking Accreditation Report, Geo-tagged and Geo-fenced Smart 'Upsthiti' (attendance monitoring system) and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra.
Congratulating the newly appointed teachers, the Chief Minister highlighted the significant progress that the state has made in education quality over the past two and a half years. He siad that "When the present congress government came to power, the state ranked 21st nationally in terms of quality education. Today, we have moved up to the 5th position".
He noted that the survey also revealed Himachal Pradesh to be ranked second in class 3, fifth in class 6, and fourth in class 9 for its provision of quality education to students.
The Chief Minister said that the teachers have made immense contributions in elevating the state's educational standing and emphasised the need to prepare for future challenges collaboratively. He said that the state government was seriously considering not retiring teachers in the middle of an academic session to avoid disruption in students' learning.
CM Sukhu said that his government was committed to bringing revolutionary reforms in the education sector, with several initiatives already underway.
"The previous government opened various schools for political gains, but our focus was to ensure that no child was deprived of education and that they receive quality instruction," he said.
The government has already appointed 5,100 TGT (Trained Graduate Teacher) posts in medical, non-medical and arts streams. A rationalisation drive has also been initiated in schools where student-teacher ratios were imbalanced. The government was also establishing Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding Schools equipped with all subject-specialist teachers, for which recruitments would begin soon, he added.
Referring to recruitment reforms, he stated that while the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission had been marred by paper leaks during the previous BJP government's tenure, the present government has taken strict measures to restore transparency.
As a result, the outcomes for several post codes have been declared and on Friday, appointment letters were being issued to 312 drawing teachers.
Highlighting developments in the health sector, the Chief Minister said, "The state was bringing in modern technologies similar to those used at AIIMS, despite financial constraints. Robotic surgeries were set to begin soon and outdated MRI, CT, and ultrasound machines were being replaced to facilitate the patients. Over the next six months, Chamyana hospital would be upgraded to match AIIMS-level healthcare facilities, followed by the phased upgradation of all medical colleges."
He said that robotic surgeons would be offered packages of Rs 1 crore to attract top talent to the State.
The Chief Minister reiterated the government's commitment to strengthening the rural economy. He said the state was offering Minimum Support Price (MSP) on naturally grown maize, wheat, turmeric and barley to empower farmers financially. Major investments were also being made in the tourism sector, including the construction of heliports and the expansion of Kangra Airport.
CM Sukhu said the government was assertively fighting for Himachal's rights over water resources and has won key legal battles in the Supreme Court, including cases related to Wildflower Hall and JSW. "We engaged top legal experts and fought with full strength," he said, emphasising the government's focus on policy reforms and addressing inequality.
Reaffirming the government's stand on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), the Chief Minister said, "There was pressure to revert to the UPS, but we would not step back from OPS. We did not bring it back for political gains, but to ensure a dignified life for government employees post-retirement." He criticised opposition leaders for misleading people over the Job Trainee Policy, clarifying that trainees would be regularised after two years of service.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur praised the Chief Minister's leadership and stated that the State was on the path to achieving 100 per cent literacy, although the journey has been challenging.
"We are hill people and we are equipped to overcome tough conditions," he said. He attributed the rise in education rankings to the CM's vision and the relentless efforts of the education department staff. He said that earlier, fifth-grade students in government schools couldn't read first-grade textbooks. Now, as per the latest surveys, we're one of the top states. To preserve the state's cultural heritage, efforts were being made to promote local dialects in schools," he said.
Earlier, Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar welcomed the Chief Minister at the event and said that under his leadership, several reformative steps have been taken, yielding positive results. As a result of these efforts, the state has secured the fifth position in the country in terms of quality education.
Director of Higher Education Dr Amarjeet Singh, Director of School Education Ashish Kohli, Samagra Shiksha Project Director Rajesh Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.