Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, September 29– A cheque signed by the principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Ronhat, has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, exposing the gaps in English proficiency within the state’s education system.
The cheque, worth Rs 7,616, drew attention not for the amount but for the wording: “Saven Thursday six Harendra sixty rupees only.” Social media users were quick to lampoon the linguistic slip. One remarked that even Shakespeare might have quietly retired after reading it.
The incident has left the public amused and educators embarrassed. Critics pointed out that if the head of a senior secondary school writes “Thursday” instead of “Thousand” and “Harendra” instead of “Hundred,” it raises questions about the quality of teaching students receive. The original cheque was rejected by the bank, prompting the school to issue a corrected version. A photograph of the rejected cheque, however, had already made rounds online, amplifying the ridicule.
The irony has not gone unnoticed. The Himachal government regularly sends teachers on expensive foreign training programs to improve classroom instruction. Social media commentators suggested that a basic English refresher course in Shimla might be a more cost-effective solution.
Defenders of the principal noted that everyone can make spelling mistakes, but critics argued that errors carrying official signatures and public money reflect poorly on the institution. Efforts to reach the principal for comment were unsuccessful.
In the end, the cheque has done what countless policy documents and government campaigns could not: it has sparked a conversation about the actual state of public education in Himachal. Until such errors are addressed, no overseas training program can fully rescue the credibility of government schools.
