VIJAYAWADA: HRD, IT, and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Wednesday and presented a comprehensive outline of the far-reaching reforms being implemented in Andhra Pradesh’s education sector. He also met Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and reiterated the long-pending demand for a High Court bench in Kurnool.
During his meeting with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Lokesh stated that the new coalition government is committed to structural reforms aimed at establishing the AP Model of Education. “Under the flagship Learning Excellence in Andhra Pradesh (LEAP) initiative, the state is setting up 9,600 model primary schools, one in each Assembly constituency. The government is implementing a ‘One Class – One Teacher’ policy and has already upgraded 700 upper primary schools to high schools. A star rating system has been introduced to evaluate schools based on academic and infrastructural parameters,” he said.
Lokesh also highlighted the successful and apolitical implementation of the Teacher Transfer Act based on seniority, the establishment of 80 new PM SHRI schools and 79 hostels under the PM Janman scheme, and the sanctioning of Rs 186 crore for STEM and computer labs. Efforts are also underway to open 125 autism schools with central support. A state-wide mega Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM) is scheduled for July 5, and Lokesh invited Union Minister Pradhan to attend.
Central help sought to set up food units
In the area of higher education, Lokesh said efforts are underway to implement a unified act across universities, improve NIRF rankings, and revise the curriculum from KG to PG. Plans are also in place to establish a Digital University under Dr B R Ambedkar University, and Centres of Excellence including an AI University in Vizag, a Sports University, and the Indian International University of Legal Education & Research (IIULER) in Amaravati.
Earlier, Lokesh met Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan and urged him to extend support for developing food processing units in the Rayalaseema region.
Highlighting the region’s potential as a horticulture hub, Lokesh said Rayalaseema farmers cultivate a wide variety of crops, including mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pomegranates and dates. However, he pointed out that many of them are unable to secure fair prices at the time of harvest due to a lack of processing and storage infrastructure. “I witnessed the hardships faced by farmers firsthand during my Yuvagalam Padayatra,” Lokesh told the Union Minister. “Setting up of food processing units will enhance value addition, and help improve farmer incomes,” he said.
In response, Chirag Paswan assured full support from the Centre to boost the food processing industry in AP. He announced that he will visit the State on July 11 and 12 to inaugurate the Food Processing Incubation Centre at IIIT Tirupati, and explore possibilities for further investments in Rayalaseema.