YSRCP government has destroyed the public education system in Andhra Pradesh, says HRD Minister Lokesh

Human Rights Minister N. Lokesh. File | Photo credit: V. RAJU

IT and Human Resource Development Minister N Lokesh slammed former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for “ruining the public education system” in the state.

Reacting to the “gloomy” Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) – 2024, released on Tuesday (January 28, 2025), Mr Lokesh, in a post on X, said the report clearly showed that although huge sums of money were spent on promotion, no significant steps were taken to improve education standards.

Jagan calls Lokesh’s claim of 82.1% literacy in Andhra bogus, citing Center survey showing 71.4%

The ASER-2024 study found that only 56% of Class 8 students could read Telugu text at Class 2 level in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It also revealed significant learning gaps among students in rural schools in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, reflecting a national trend of poor literacy and numeracy skills.

Mr. Lokesh said that under the rule of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), arbitrary GOs had led to the closure of several schools. There was a decline in educational standards and schools were found to lack basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets. There has been a drastic drop in student attendance in schools and the problems of teachers have been completely neglected, he added.

The minister said that during the earlier tenure of TDP, public schools were much better in terms of educational standards, attendance, infrastructure and encouraging students to do sports and extra-curricular activities. Mr. Lokesh said that he had taken several measures in the last seven months to strengthen the public education system.

Emphasis is on the AP Model

He said the emphasis was on gathering accurate data on the number of students studying in government schools, designing curricula that are in line with emerging needs, providing value-based education and counseling to encourage students in sports and other fields, solving teachers’ problems and providing basic infrastructure in schools.

Mr. Lokesh said that the government intends to implement the Andhra Pradesh model of school education by bringing radical changes in the public education system. “We will be seeking feedback from the public and education experts on this new model,” he said.

Published – 30 Jan 2025 05:28 IST