Proper teacher transfer policy, fixed tenure vital for quality education: Rohit Thakur

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Government plans to align courses with future employment opportunities

Shimla, September 12

Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur on Saturday stressed the need for a teacher transfer policy and fixed tenures to ensure quality education in the state, saying stability in postings is essential for improving the education system. He said teachers were the most important link in the education system and that the success of institutions and boards, including CBSE, the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education, Atal Adarsh Vidyalayas and Rajiv Gandhi Adarsh Vidyalayas, depended on committed and capable teachers.

He said appointments should be merit-based and transparency should also be maintained in the posting and transfer of teachers. Qualified teachers should be allowed to serve at a place for a reasonable period so that students’ education is not disrupted, he said. The minister said regular recruitment would bring fresh and qualified human resources into the education department. He described the recent recruitment of teachers through CBSE as a positive step.

He  said government schools had witnessed a decline of around four lakh students over the past 15 years, adding that one reason was the failure to adapt the education system to changing times.

He said schools and colleges needed to be prepared according to changing public needs and employment requirements. The government should assess sectors likely to generate employment opportunities in the coming years and design courses accordingly, he said, stressing that linking education with employment was the need of the hour.

Thakur said Himachal Pradesh had a favourable teacher-student ratio compared with the rest of the country, with an average of one teacher for every 10 students. In Lahaul-Spiti, the ratio was 3:1. However, he acknowledged that some remote areas continued to face staff shortages.

On the Primary Teachers Association’s agitation, the education minister  said the government was considering their demands and suggestions and that the chief minister had also discussed the matter.

He said the government would welcome constructive suggestions from teachers and clarified that no teacher posts would be abolished and promotion opportunities would not be ended.