Himachal's education reforms: Blueprint that reversed decline

Hindustan Times

25-07-2025

In an era where education reform is often reduced to political tokenism, Himachal Pradesh has quietly redefined the narrative. The hill state's leap from rank 21 in the 2021 National Achievement Survey (NAS) to fifth in 2025 reflects a structural overhaul that prioritised learning outcomes over populism. Himachal's earlier achievements in education faded post-2017, with a notable dip in 2021 after the pandemic. But 2025 marks an inflection point. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reversed the decline with reforms focused on foundational learning, administrative rationalisation, and outcomes-based governance. (HT File)
While Punjab claimed the top spot in NAS 2024, India's most credible assessment of student learning covering Classes 3, 6, and 9, Himachal's turnaround stands out. Weather and security challenges hinder Jammu and Kashmir, while Delhi struggles with governance issues and high migrant enrolment. Himachal's success, however, comes from within: Reforms, political will, and data-backed strategies.
Himachal's earlier achievements in education faded post-2017, with a notable dip in 2021 after the pandemic. But 2025 marks an inflection point. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reversed the decline with reforms focused on foundational learning, administrative rationalisation, and outcomes-based governance.
Sukhu's boldest move was politically risky but necessary: The closing down of 1,160 non-functional schools, comprising 911 primary, 220 middle, 14 high, and 15 senior secondary institutions, that had negligible enrolment or existed only on paper. His predecessors had avoided such action, fearing backlash from MLAs and local lobbies.
Six structural shifts
Himachal's NAS success is rooted in six core structural shifts. First, school mergers for efficiency. More than 1,000 low-enrolment schools were merged, rationalising staff, reducing overheads, and enabling viable class structures. Second, a unified education directorate. A streamlined command now governs education from pre-primary to Class 12. By separating school and college education, administrative turf wars have ended. Third, introducing English from Grade 1. Himachal leapfrogged national trends by introducing English as the medium of instruction from the first grade, boosting early language skills and employability. Fourth, freedom in uniforms. Schools can now decide their uniforms, fostering a sense of ownership, identity, and student engagement. Fifth, global exposure. Select students and teachers are taken abroad to infuse global best practices and raise aspirations. And finally, cluster-based management. Schools are now grouped into academic clusters for shared resources, collaborative learning, and better monitoring.
The NAS 2025 has endorsed these reforms through: Foundational literacy as Grade 3 students, under the NIPUN Bharat Mission, performed well, showing early learning improvements; public sector outperformance as government schools outshone private ones with girl and rural students surpassing national averages; and new district leaders, namely Hamirpur (79%) and Sirmaur (77%) leading Grade 3 scores and Lahaul and Spiti topping Grades 6 and 9, bucking the usual urban advantage.
Despite the gains, challenges persist. Only 26% of teachers attended the continuous professional development (CPD) sessions, a red flag for future quality. Just 30% of schools have facilities for children with special needs (CWSN), and only 35% have trained teachers for them. Issues, such as bullying and peer exclusion, remain prevalent, calling for stronger mental health support. A mere 41% of students opted for vocational courses despite 45% of schools offering them, pointing to an interest-industry disconnect.
Road to NAS 2027
To break into the top three, the state needs to refine its approach by institutionalising competency-based learning. The NAS data must feed into school improvement plans and teacher training. The education department must move beyond token workshops to embedded, ongoing professional development. It should bridge skill-interest gaps by partnering with local industries and sector skill councils to align vocational education with real-world demands and ensure inclusive campuses by expanding infrastructure for CWSN and scale up initiatives like Manodarpan for student wellness.
Since the first pilot NAS in 2001, Himachal's education trajectory has mirrored the evolution of Indian school assessments. From early-stage diagnostics to equity-focused analysis (2012–14), to post-pandemic realignment in 2021, the NAS 2025 stands as Himachal's breakout moment. The transformation reflects sustained responsiveness to national policies, especially the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Himachal's journey from stagnation to resurgence is the outcome of political will, bold decisions, and a shift from rhetoric to reform.
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(The writer is a Shimla-based freelance contributor. Views expressed are personal)