Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government is now planning to introduce apprentice embedded degree programmes for students who have completed their bachelor's, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said on Wednesday.
Under this initiative, students will get opportunities to work with various industries while receiving a stipend, he said, adding that it will enable them to enhance their skills and improve their employment prospects, a statement issued here said.
Chairing a review meeting with senior officers of the education department to assess the progress of ongoing programmes and reforms in the education sector, Thakur said the government is also planning to introduce foreign language courses at the college level, which would help students acquire global language skills and create employment opportunities in international markets.
Highlighting the success of the Bachelor of Vocational (B.Voc) programmes, Thakur said that the initiative has received an encouraging response from students and the government is planning to introduce four additional courses under the programme.
Reviewing the performance of students in the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) examinations, the minister said the results of Class 10 and Class 12 would be analysed in detail.
He directed the officers to ensure accountability and stated that annual increments of consistently poor-performing teachers could be withheld. He also stressed the importance of regular biometric attendance, and salary deductions would be considered in cases of persistent non-compliance.
Thakur said that Horticulture is being started as a vocational subject in schools. He directed the department to expand the programme, particularly in horticulture-dominated areas.
Reviewing the distribution of tablets to students, the education minister directed the department to expedite the process and adopt the Direct Benefit Transfer mode so that eligible students can purchase devices of their choice.
The minister directed the department to complete Departmental Promotion Committee formalities for the promotion of deputy directors and said the proposal for creating district attorney posts would be placed before the Cabinet.
The minister was informed that 148 government schools have secured CBSE affiliation in the current academic session.
He said that more schools would be brought under the CBSE curriculum in future and directed the department to conduct examinations in December, except board classes.
Reviewing the post-disaster needs assessment works, Thakur was informed that Rs 19 crore has been allocated for the repair and reconstruction of schools damaged during the 2023 and 2025 disasters.
The minister also directed officials to expedite pending formalities for non-functional Kendriya Vidyalayas and make them operational at the earliest.
He lauded the efforts of the Education Department, Samagra Shiksha and the teaching fraternity for remarkable performance in the Performance Grading Index 2.0 released by the Ministry of Education.
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