BAPATLA: The Shining Stars – 2026 felicitation programme, organised under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Education Department, was held at V Convention Hall, Suryalanka Beach Road on Monday.
Bapatla District In-charge Minister and State Housing Corporation & Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy attended as chief guest and was accorded a warm welcome by NCC and Scouts & Guides students.
The event began with the lighting of the lamp by the Minister, District Collector Vinod Kumar V MLA Vegesina Narendra Varma Raju, and Bapatla Urban Development Authority (BAUDA) Chairman Selagala Rajasekhar Babu.
Students displayed stalls showcasing their dreams and aspirations written on star-shaped papers. The programme opened with a devotional song dedicated to Telugu Thalli.
Addressing the gathering, Parthasarathy noted that Bapatla district achieved 86% pass percentage in Class X examinations, with girls outperforming boys, and set a target of 95% pass rate in the coming years.
He emphasised that education is not merely for degrees but a powerful weapon to shape responsible citizens. He also highlighted the Chief Minister’s vision of raising India’s per capita income to `55 lakh by 2047, and pointed to Andhra Pradesh’s growing appeal to global companies.
The Collector said 15,769 students registered for the Class X exams in March 2026, of whom 13,424 passed, achieving an overall pass rate of 86.07%. MLA Narendra Varma noted that such recognition was not available earlier, and lauded HRD Minister Nara Lokesh for instituting the programme to encourage merit across government and private schools.