VIJAYAWADA: Minister for HRD Nara Lokesh has announced that the State government will conduct the District Selection Committee (DSC) examination annually to fill teacher vacancies, marking a significant shift in the recruitment policy.
This comes after the successful conduct of Mega DSC 2025 for 16,347 teacher posts, the first of its kind in the State’s history. During a review meeting with senior education department officials at his Undavalli residence on Friday, Lokesh highlighted the effective implementation of reforms over the past 14 months aimed at improving educational standards in government schools.
He emphasised that the ultimate goal of these reforms is to achieve better learning outcomes, placing the responsibility on officials and teachers to focus on results.
According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), Andhra Pradesh ranks 14th nationally in the implementation of the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme.
Lokesh called for constructive measures to improve this ranking, stating that the State aims to make guaranteed FLN a right for every child—the first such initiative in the country. “With the cooperation of teachers, we will work towards ensuring guaranteed FLN reaches every child, even in remote areas,” he said.
The HRD Minister also addressed the Talliki Vandanam programme, noting its effective implementation, and the release of the final installment of Rs 325 crore for pending applications.
To enhance infrastructure, Lokesh urged the involvement of donors, including prominent individuals settled abroad and corporate entities, for critical facilities in government and model schools. He proposed creating a dedicated website listing schools’ infrastructure needs to encourage alumni and locals to adopt their village schools.
The meeting also covered plans for new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas, with land acquisition supported by donors. Lokesh instructed officials to study successful preschool policies from the States like Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Gujarat to develop an optimal framework for AP.
On Constitution Day, a special student assembly in the State legislature is planned, with one student selected from each constituency, subject to the Speaker’s approval.
In a push for modern facilities, modernised science centres in Anantapur, Nellore, Eluru, Kadapa and Chittoor districts are to be launched soon. Construction of 125 sanctioned autism centres across the State should begin and be completed within a year, he said.
Lokesh directed the construction of a state-of-the-art Central Library in Amaravati, spanning 2 lakh square feet, to be completed within a year as the best model in the country. A proposed regional library in Visakhapatnam’s Jagadamba Centre, covering 50,000 square feet, should proceed on a war footing.
For public libraries, he advocated strengthening them through measures like facial recognition for staff attendance to ensure fixed timings. Currently, only 13 district libraries exist in old district headquarters; new ones must be set up in the newly formed districts, the HRD Minister said.