TIRUPATI: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the State government is taking special initiatives to raise educational standards across Andhra Pradesh and is developing Kuppam as a ‘laboratory’ for growth, where new technologies and innovative projects are being tested before being implemented elsewhere in the State.
As part of his three-day visit to the Kuppam constituency, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several education and tourism projects in Gudipalli and Kuppam Rural mandals.
In Gudipalli, Naidu inaugurated the Agastya Vidyachal Academy, built at a cost of `3 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for a Learners’ Accommodation Facility, to be constructed at an estimated cost of `10 crore, and for the Oberoi Visitors Centre, proposed with an investment of `2 crore.
He inaugurated a state-of-the-art Teachers’ Training Centre at the Agastya Vidyachal Academy campus, constructed over 11,000 sq. ft. at a cost of `3 crore. Academy representatives said the centre has been designed to train around 5,000 teachers and school leaders every year in scientific and experiential teaching methods.
With the proposed `10 crore expansion, the Learners’ Accommodation Facility aims to increase residential capacity and strengthen the academy’s ability to host national-level training programmes. At present, the academy provides accommodation for about 240 participants. The Oberoi Visitors Centre is being designed to offer a multimedia-based learning and visitor experience.
Interacting with teachers undergoing training, the Chief Minister reviewed the use of learning kits and training methodologies. Addressing students, he urged them to prepare for the future, saying innovation and technology would create vast opportunities. “The future belongs to you,” he told them.
Later in the evening, during his Gudipalli mandal visit, Naidu performed Jala Harathi to HNSS (Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi) Krishna water at the Gudipalli tank.
Earlier in the day, Kuppam Rural mandal witnessed a series of tourism-related initiatives. The Chief Minister inaugurated the Heritage Village–Bouldering Park at Kangundi Heritage Village, developed at a cost of `35 lakh under the District Tourism Council. He also inaugurated 32 homestays and nine tent accommodations and inspected the facilities, directing officials to ensure tourist-friendly arrangements.
Highlighting Kuppam’s tourism potential due to its proximity to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Bengaluru, Naidu launched the ‘Discover Kuppam’ tourism website. He also laid the foundation stone for tourism works worth `4 crore to be taken up with APSBCL CSR funds.