Govt. congratulates 134 meritorious students in SSC, Intermediate

Awarded students from across Visakhapatnam district displaying their medals and certificates after being felicitated under the Andhra Pradesh Government’s Shining Stars program at the VMRDA Children’s Arena in Visakhapatnam on Monday. | Photo credit: V. RAJU

The Visakhapatnam district administration on Monday congratulated 134 students who secured top ranks in the SSC and Intermediate public examinations held earlier this year in March under the state government’s ‘Shining Stars’ program at the VMRDA Children’s Arena in Siripuram.

District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore, MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu (Visakhapatnam East) and P. Vishnu Kumar Raju (Visakhapatnam North) and VMRDA Chairman Pranav Gopal were present. Guests began the day by visiting the “Wall of Ambition”, “Wall of Gratitude” and “Wall of Dreams” built on site by students.

Of the awardees, 88 students from 11 mandals were awarded for their performance in SSC examinations and 46 from various junior colleges for their performance in Intermediate examinations. Each recipient received a check for ₹20,000, a medal and a copy of Swami Vivekananda’s biography, taking the total disbursement in the district to ₹26.8 lakh.

Mr. Kishore said that the Shining Stars award marked a student’s first achievement in life and urged the recipients to build on it rather than stop at this milestone. He urged the students to focus on “smart work” along with hard work and said that the students of Visakhapatnam should strive to become role models at the national level.

Mr. Ramakrishna Babu recalled earlier initiatives of the government during 2014-19 and said that in his school days he studied under the light of lanterns, a contrast to the facilities available to students today.

Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju said that education is the only thing that stays with a person throughout life and warned parents against comparing those who scored high with those who scored less, saying it could discourage children.

Mr. Gopal said that honoring students who have excelled in government schools is a matter of pride and noted the growing interest of students in switching from private to government schools.

Published – 20 Jul 2026 19:55 IST