Himachal govt to introduce B.Ed course after Class 12, says CM

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said the state government is contemplating to introduce a B.Ed course immediately after Class 12th.

Speaking at the annual prize distribution ceremony of St. Bede’s College — the iconic women’s college, he exhorted the students to prepare for future challenges. He said that the state government has introduced several new-age courses such as AI and Data Storage to equip youth with future-ready skills.

He announced Rs 5 lakh for outstanding students of the college and reiterated the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment. Himachal Pradesh is the first state in India to increase the marriage age of girls to 21 years, the CM underlined

Expressing concern over the menace of drug abuse, he said that the government has launched an anti-drug campaign and will take even stronger measures in the future to curb this evil.

“The government is making every possible effort to protect the youth from falling into drug addiction and is promoting sports activities among the youth,” said the CM.

Sukhu said the government has also raised the diet money for the players.

“Previously, Under-17 and Under-19 players received diet money of Rs 150 for State-level competitions and Rs 250 for National-level competitions. The present government has increased these amounts to Rs. 400 and Rs. 500, respectively,” he said.

He said that to enhance educational infrastructure, the government is establishing Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools in every Assembly constituency of the state in a phased manner, which will focus on both academics and personality development of the students, along with providing nutritious meals.