S Gopal Puri
Dharamshala — The Himachal Pradesh government’s decision to transfer 100 government schools from the state education board to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has sparked strong opposition from education board employees.
On Thursday, members of the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board Employees’ Union staged a protest during their lunch break, holding an emergency general assembly at the board gate and raising slogans against the move.
Union president Sunil Sharma criticized the decision taken during the cabinet meeting on September 15, stating that it has caused widespread discontent among board employees and stakeholders. He emphasized that both the state board and CBSE follow the NCERT curriculum, questioning the rationale behind the shift.
“Both CBSE and the state board teach the same NCERT syllabus. The difference is only in name. Instead of changing boards, the government should have focused on strengthening the schools,” Sharma said.
He further argued that the board’s core responsibility is to ensure smooth conduct of examinations across the state. Weakening the board, he said, would not lead to genuine improvements in education quality. Instead, the government should invest in upgrading infrastructure and resources in government schools.
The union has warned that if their concerns are not addressed, they will escalate the protest.
