Shimla, Aug 8 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday reaffirmed his government's stance on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and said they would not revert to the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
In an interaction with reporters here, he said, "We did not bring it back for political gains, but to ensure a dignified life for government employees post-retirement."
"There was pressure to revert to the UPS, but we would not step back from the OPS," he added.
Sukhu handed over appointment letters to 312 newly selected drawing teachers in a formal ceremony here. On the occasion, he also gave a send-off to a group of five students from government schools who were embarking on an educational tour to Japan.
These students will visit various academic institutions and historical sites across Japan. During the event, the Chief Minister launched several educational initiatives, including the student-centric news platform Desk Express, the Baseline School Ranking Accreditation Report, the geo-tagged and geo-fenced smart 'Upsthiti' (attendance monitoring system), and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra.
Sukhu said, "When the present Congress government came to power, the state was ranked 21st nationally in terms of quality education, but today, we have moved up to the fifth position."
He acknowledged the immense contribution of teachers in elevating the state’s educational standing and emphasised the need to prepare collaboratively for future challenges.
He also said the state government was seriously considering not retiring teachers in the middle of an academic session to avoid disruption in students’ learning.
The chief minister informed that the government has already appointed 5,100 TGT (Trained Graduate Teacher) posts in medical, non-medical, and arts streams. A rationalisation drive has also been initiated in schools where student-teacher ratios were imbalanced. PTI BPL HIG
