He was inaugurating a two-day principals’ conference on “Reforms in Higher Education” at Dev Lok Resort in Baragran near Manali. The conference is being organised by the Higher Education Department and Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan. Manali MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur was the guest of honour.
Thakur said degrees must be linked with knowledge, skills, research, innovation, employment and entrepreneurship. He said principals were not merely administrative heads but academic leaders.
He said Himachal spent 18 per cent of its budget on education. Under the National Education Policy-2020, 26 government colleges had started four-year undergraduate programmes, offering honours and research opportunities. The state now has 142 government colleges.
As many as 5,071 appointments, promotions and regularisations had been made, including 144 principals and 534 associate and assistant professors. The HP Public Service Commission had advertised 373 assistant professor posts, he said.
“In 2025-26, 50 government colleges will undergo digital transformation, with digital libraries, study centres, virtual and live classes, ICT labs and CCTV,” Thakur said. Vocational undergraduate courses, which were started in 12 colleges in 2017-18, were now being offered in 20 colleges and had helped 1,914 students secure employment in five years, he added.
He said skill labs, internship centres, placement cells and innovation centres were being strengthened. Future technology labs would expose students to artificial intelligence, robotics, internet and digital automation, he added.
Thakur said the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) had approved Rs 179.75 crore for Himachal to strengthen infrastructure and institutional development, including hostels for girls. Under the YS Parmar student loan scheme, 147 needy students had benefited.
From 2025, college ranking and library grading had been introduced to promote self-assessment and quality. State Teacher Awards had also been launched, he said.
Thakur released the inter-college ranking booklet and honoured the top-performing colleges. In TR-1, Government College Hamirpur stood first, followed by RKMV Shimla and Sanjauli. In TR-2, Theog, Bhoranj and Sunni secured the top three positions, respectively. In TR-3, Darlaghat, Dhaneta and Sangrah stood first, second and third, respectively.
In the library ranking, Hamirpur, Rampur, Jogindernagar and Dharamsala shared the top position.
Thakur said suggestions from principals would be incorporated into the department’s action plan. Director Dr Sunita Singh welcomed the guests.