KAKINADA: HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh has said that combining moral values with high academic standards would help make Andhra Pradesh’s school education system the best in the country.
Lokesh was speaking as the chief guest at ‘Bharateeyam’, a patriotic programme organised by the School Education Department in association with spiritual orator Chaganti Koteswara Rao at the Akundi Lakshmi Memorial Goshala premises in Thimmapuram in Kakinada Rural on Sunday.
The minister said 1.10 lakh students had shifted from private schools to government schools this year, attributing the trend to improvements in the quality of education. For the first time in the country, advertisements featuring photographs of government school students who secured top ranks were published in newspapers and telecast on television, he said. Admissions to intermediate courses had also increased by 10,000, he added, crediting students, parents and teachers for the achievements.
Lokesh appreciated Chaganti’s efforts in organising the programme and said his spiritual messages had reached almost every household in the two Telugu States. He said the statement, “India is my country, and I am an Indian”, reflected national pride, honour and Sanatana Dharma.
India was the cradle of moral values and humanity was part of its heritage, he said, adding that moral values formed the foundation of the family system. Recalling India’s contributions to various fields, Lokesh cited Charaka in medicine, Chanakya in statecraft, Aryabhata in mathematics, Patanjali in yoga and Dhanvantari in Ayurveda.
He said Indians were respected across the world because of the legacy handed down by their elders and stressed the need to preserve it for future generations. The government was therefore giving priority to value-based education, he said. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had appointed Chaganti as an adviser on moral values, Lokesh added.
Referring to the first Parent-Teacher Meeting held in Bapatla, Lokesh said the Chief Minister had shared a meal with students, underscoring the importance of bringing about social change through classrooms.
Recalling his MBA days at Stanford University, where he said he had not seen invigilators during examinations, Lokesh expressed hope that a similar sense of discipline would take root in the State.
Lokesh said he had taken charge of the Education portfolio as a challenge and had focused on reforms over the past two years to restore the former glory of government schools. His first decision, he said, was to keep politics out of schools. Political colours would not be used on uniforms, books, bags, belts or shoes, and photographs of the Chief Minister or himself would not be displayed, he said.
The minister said he regularly spoke to students about AI, robotics and Indian moral values and advised them never to do anything that they could not tell their mothers about.
Recalling freedom fighter Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu and the 1928 ‘Simon Go Back’ movement, Lokesh also referred to D Kiran Kumar, who, despite losing his eyesight after being shot, continued to fight on the border. India was developing rapidly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone should work with dedication to realise their aspirations, he said.
Chaganti Koteswara Rao, Advisor on Moral Values to the State government, said the freedom struggle was not merely a chapter in history but a cherished part of India’s heritage. Many great leaders had sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom and independence, he said, adding that it was the responsibility of the present generation to understand the value of that legacy and safeguard it.
The ‘Bharateeyam’ programme, aimed at fostering patriotism among students, drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
