The Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday de-notified 90 government middle, high and senior secondary schools, citing administrative reasons and low enrolment. These include 20 middle schools with less than 15 students, 34 high schools with less than 20 students and 36 senior-secondary schools with less than 25 students, according to a notification issued here.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur has maintained that a format would be followed for schools and colleges. Primary schools with less than 10 students, middle schools with less than 15 students, senior secondary schools with less than 25 students and colleges with less than 65 students will be shut down, he said.

Earlier, 286 schools (primary and middle) with zero enrolments were de-notified. Opposition BJP leaders have protested the move, saying the Congress government was de-notifying government institutions opened for the welfare of the common people.

The ruling party has maintained that hundreds of government institutions were opened at the fag end of the BJP government's tenure without budgetary provisions and required staff to woo voters.