opened and teachers were appointed so that many more children could study easily. Of course, to open schools and run them well, the government had to spend money. Among the Indian states, Himachal Pradesh has the distinction of one of the highest spending from the government budget on education of each child. In the year 2005, the average spending on education by the government in Indian states was Rs 1,049 per child on the other hand, Himachal Pradesh was spending Rs. 2,005 per child!

The high priority on education paid off. In an intensive survey on schooling done in 1996 and repeated in 2006, the surveyors noted:

Students in Himachal Pradesh come to school enthusiastically. An overwhelming proportion of students enjoyed their schooling experience: “The teacher loves us and teaches us well”, said Neha, enrolled in Class 4 in a village in Chamba. Children had dreams of studying till higher classes and aspirations to be policemen, scientists and teachers. The attendance rate was very high in primary classes, but also among older children

The norm in Himachal Pradesh has come to at least 10 years of schooling for children.

In many parts of the country, girls’ education is still given less priority by the parents as compared to boys’ education. While girls may study for a few years, they may not complete their schooling. A welcome trend in Himachal Pradesh is the lower gender bias. Himachali parents have ambitious educational goals for their girls, just as for their boys. Thus, in the 13-18 age group, a very high percentage of girls are completing class VIII and moving to secondary classes. This doesn’t mean there are no differences in the status of men and women, but the differences are less as compared to many other regions, particularly north Indian states.

One may wonder why the gender bias is less in Himachal Pradesh as compared to other states. Besides education, this can be seen in other areas as well. Child mortality (children dying within a few years of birth) in Himachal Pradesh is lower for girls than for boys, in contrast to most other states. One major consideration is that many Himachali women are themselves employed outside the home. Women who work outside the homes are economically independent and self-confident. They have greater say in household decisions, including children’s education, health, birth, upkeep etc. Also, being employed themselves, Himachali mothers expect their daughters to work outside home after marriage. Schooling, therefore, comes naturally and has become a social norm.

It has been seen that Himachali women have a comparatively high involvement in social life and village politics. Active mahila mandals can be found in many villages.