SHIMLA-29^th December, 2024-The present state government is taking several initiatives to bring qualitative improvements in the education sector. Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools are being constructed in a phased manner, with a capacity to accommodate at least 1,000 students from pre-primary to class 12 in each school. Construction of six such schools has already been commenced in Nagrota Bagwan, Jwalamukhi, Fatehpur, Palampur and Jai Singhpur assembly constituencies in Kangra district, along with the Bhoranj constituency in Hamirpur district. Additionally, the state government has approved the architectural plans for these schools to be set-up at 10 locations.

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated, “The Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools will be equipped with modern facilities such as high-tech smart classrooms, sports grounds, indoor stadiums, and swimming pools etc. These schools will significantly improve the standard of government educational institutions and instill confidence in rural students to face life’s challenges effectively.”

Furthermore, the state government has also notified 100 government high schools, 200 government senior secondary schools, 48 government colleges and two government Sanskrit colleges as ‘Centers of Excellence’ to improve quality education in schools and colleges. The Chief Minister also emphasized the government’s efforts to encourage children to participate in sports to keep them away from drug abuse. The government has increased the diet money for students participating in sports competitions. For zonal and district-level competitions, the amount of diet money has been increased from Rs. 120 to Rs. 400, while for national-level competitions, it has been raised from Rs. 250 to Rs. 500. Similarly, diet money for players training in the eight sports hostels of the state has been increased from Rs. 240 to Rs. 400. He said “The modern facilities and focused efforts on education and sports will significantly enhance the overall learning environment and opportunities for students across the state.”