Himachal Pradesh education minister Rohit Thakur on Friday said that the teacher selection process for the 150 CBSE schools has reached its final stage and government is moving ahead with the implementation.Himachal Pradesh education minister Rohit Thakur. (File)Speaking on the government’s flagship education reforms, Rohit Thakur, said the initiative to introduce the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum in selected government schools was launched following chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s announcement made during the Independence Day celebrations last year and nearly 150 schools were identified for this purpose.“The curriculum of both the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education and CBSE broadly follows the National Curriculum Framework. However, one of the major reasons behind introducing CBSE in selected government schools was to bridge the quality perception gap between government and private schools. The response from parents has been extremely encouraging,” Thakur said.He was talking of the outcome of the recent cabinet sub-committee meeting under deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri and comprising senior ministers, constituted to examine the final implementation process.According to the minister, the initiative has already yielded positive results, with around 16,000 additional student admissions being recorded in the selected government schools.Talking of the recruitment process, Thakur said the government held detailed discussions on the staffing requirements for CBSE schools and decided to ensure appointments strictly on merit.He said separate recruitment was planned for CBSE schools, while serving teachers—including Principals, Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs), Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs), and other eligible staff—were invited to appear in a written examination.“Nearly 2,000 teachers applied for the examination, following which shortlisted candidates were identified on the basis of merit. The recruitment process also faced legal challenges and remained pending before the High Court for almost five months. However, the court upheld the government’s policy, allowing us to proceed,” the minister said.