GUNTUR: Even as more young people in Andhra Pradesh complete school and enter college, gaps in learning, employment quality, and nutrition continue to hinder progress, according to the latest findings from the Young Lives international study released on Friday.
The study conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS)-Hyderabad in 2023-24 revealed that many young people now face a ‘double burden’ of malnutrition-undernutrition and obesity, while mental health issues like stress and anxiety were reported, especially among those from historically marginalised groups.
Women who experienced early marriage or motherhood remain among the most affected, with significantly lower university enrolment and job quality. The report also highlights that Andhra Pradesh, despite having a slightly higher female labour force participation rate (29.9%) than the national average, continues to show a wide gender gap in employment.
The dissemination event at Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) has revealed encouraging trends-such as a substantial drop in child marriages, higher enrolment in universities, broader digital access among marginalised communities, but also exposed underlying concerns.
The longitudinal research project has been following two cohorts of children in the state since 2001 to track the long-term impact of poverty on their lives. Despite increased years of schooling, reading comprehension has not improved significantly. Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly Scheduled Castes and Tribes, continue to face poor employment prospects, often ending up in low-paying and unstable jobs.
Researchers called for targeted policies to close these gaps-particularly in learning outcomes, digital literacy, and job quality-and stressed the need for nutrition reforms and inclusive strategies to meet the state’s Sustainable Development Goals. The event was attended by Vice-Chairperson of AP State Council of Higher Education Prof. K Hemachandra Reddy, , ANU Registrar Prof. P Rajasekhar, and others were present.