Shimla: The single girl child will be given admission on priority basis in government-run schools and colleges in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said on Thursday.

"To empower women, we will give priority to a single girl child in educational institutions," Dhumal said at a public meeting in Neri village in Hamirpur district.

He said the government was making efforts to provide quality education to students in the state.

"Educational institutes of repute are being opened to make the state an education hub," Dhumal added.

The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) in Shimla last year created an extra seat and reserved it for single girl children in M.Phil, graduate and postgraduate professional courses.

As per the provisional Census-2011 figures, the overall sex ratio of the state has improved from 968 to 974. IANS