Mahendra Patial
Bharmour
Primary teachers from the Bharmour-Garola block staged a protest rally on Sunday along the Mini Secretariat road, voicing strong opposition to the newly issued cluster system notification by the Himachal Pradesh Education Department. The rally culminated in the submission of a memorandum to Hon’ble Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu through the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Bharmour.
Block President Ramesh Chand Sharma informed that the department had released a fresh notification on September 23, 2025, restructuring the cluster system and placing full administrative control of primary education under school principals. This move, he said, contradicts the earlier revised notification issued on February 13, 2024, which had limited cluster restructuring to resource sharing and preserved administrative authority with head teachers, central head teachers, and block elementary education officers for classes Nursery to 5.
The association argued that the new directive undermines the autonomy of the primary education framework that has been in place since 1984. They highlighted Himachal Pradesh’s top ranking in last year’s ASER report and its second-place national standing in the NAS Class 3 survey—achievements attributed to the dedicated efforts of primary teachers, not principals.
Teachers warned that centralizing control under principals would overload a single administrative unit, potentially degrading the quality of education. They also expressed concern that the roles of promoted head teachers and education officers would be rendered ineffective, leading to confusion and dual administrative subordination for primary educators.
The memorandum further stated that the notification violates assurances made by the Education Minister during a 43-day-long dialogue with the Himachal Pradesh Government Primary Teachers Association, where it was agreed that the primary education structure would remain untouched even after the formation of a new directorate.
The teachers urged the Chief Minister, known for his pro-employee stance, to revoke the notification in the interest of primary educators and the integrity of the education system.
Present at the rally were Bharmour Block President Ramesh Chand Sharma, Garola Block President Uttam Chand, and several teacher members from both blocks.
