Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Friday said the State had achieved one of the best enrolment rate in higher education in the country. Presiding over the meeting of the State Higher Education Council under RUSA here, the Chief Minister said education was among the top priority sectors of his Government and it was a matter of pride that today Himachal Pradesh had emerged as one of the pioneering State in the field of education with best parameters.

“The State had second highest literacy rate and enrolment rate in the age group of 6-14 years was 99.7 per cent. Besides, the student learning level was also best and the drop out rate was very less as compared to other States,” he said, Singh said efforts were being made to impart quality education at primary and higher level, for which adequate trained teaching staff and infrastructural facilities were being made available.

The CM directed the education department to ensure that quality education was imparted in the District Institutions of Education and Training (DIET) and also to avoid unwanted posting and transfers of teachers. He said that JBT teachers should also be given training in English teaching so that the level of primary education could be improved. 

Singh Chief Minister said the assessment of the children should not be done by the teachers of the same school but by teachers from other schools and also directed that ensure English, Mathematics and Hindi subjects were compulsorily taught in all primary schools. The Chief Minister said that government would also consider opening of  College of Fine Arts in the State.

He directed the HP University authorities for maintaining financial discipline as the Government was giving enough grant to the University. Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary, PC Dhiman proposed more colleges of teacher education besides opening college of Architecture and Planning in the State.

Director Higher Education Shashi Bhushan Shekhri briefed about the activities being undertaken under RUSA and a proposal of creation of universities by conversion of colleges in a cluster.