MANDI: In a major embarrassment for the Himachal Pradesh government that has been pushing for systemic reforms, Education Minister Rohit Thakur himself is facing sharp criticism after the shocking failure of all Class 10 students at the government school in his native village in Jubbal tehsil of Shimla district.
The Government Senior Secondary School at Pauta (Dhar), the native village of Education Minister Rohit, has recorded a 100% failure rate in the Class 10 board exams. All six students who appeared for the exams failed.
No maths teacher, no accountability
The failure is being attributed to the absence of a mathematics teacher for the last two years, with the designated instructor reportedly on study leave. Despite this, no replacement was appointed, a glaring administrative lapse that has now come to light in the most public way.
The school falls within the Kotkhai-Jubbal Assembly constituency represented by Rohit Thakur, who is a third-time MLA and currently holds the education portfolio in the state cabinet.
The minister did not respond to repeated calls from The Newz Radar. A senior Congress leader refused to comment saying only Rohit Thakur could comment on what happened in his village.
Adopted school also sees massive failures
The matter becomes even more serious with reports that the government school in Jubbal, adopted by minister Rohit, also posted poor results. Out of 20 students, 10 failed. The school bears the name of Rohit’s grandfather, Ram Lal Thakur, a former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
At the Girls Senior Secondary School in Jubbal, eight out of 19 students failed. The situation has raised concerns about the condition of rural education in the state, particularly under the watch of the very minister responsible for educational reform, alleged a BJP leader.
Speaking to the media, the Principal of the Pauta school confirmed that no mathematics teacher had been available for the past two years, and that the subject was not properly taught. At the adopted school in Jubbal, the Principal declined to offer specific reasons for the failure.
BJP targets minister over poor results
In response to the controversy, Education Minister Rohit has reportedly demanded reports from all schools across Himachal Pradesh that recorded poor results.
This year, the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) reported a statewide Class 10 pass percentage of 79.08%. Notably, Saina Thakur from Kangra was the state topper with an outstanding 99.43% marks.
Expressing concern over the deteriorating state of education in Himachal Pradesh, former Education Minister Gobind Thakur said, “This is a clear indication that the standard of education in the state is steadily declining, while the government, instead of addressing the issue, is attempting to mislead the public.”
He further alleged that “under the pretext of improving education, nearly 1,200 schools had been shut down across the state”. As a result, children were now forced to walk several kilometers just to attend school.” Calling this a blatant violation of the educational rights of rural children, Gobind Thakur demanded that the government immediately reopen the closed schools.
Munish Sood
