Over one lakh students move from private to government schools in Andhra Pradesh, officials report

Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Thursday directed officials to prioritise student attendance and learning outcomes in government schools during the current academic year. The directive was issued during a review meeting on school education.

Officials informed the Minister that 1,06,000 students had newly enrolled in government schools this year after shifting from private schools. Of the 7,620 Upper Primary Schools in the state, 3,515 schools (46.13%) have admitted students up to their maximum capacity. The officials attributed the increase in admissions to ongoing education sector reforms.

Referring to high fees charged by private schools, the Minister instructed officials to study mechanisms adopted by other states to regulate excessive private school fees.

The officials said that from September 5 this year, under Phase I, an AI Tutor system will be introduced as a pre-pilot project for mathematics and science subjects for Class 9 and 10 students in 175 LEAP schools. The Minister suggested that the AI Tutor be integrated with classroom clickers in the future.

The meeting also discussed the regularisation of IERPS and the recruitment of guest lecturers for High School Plus institutions. Attendees included Principal Secretary (In-charge), Department of Education, Shyamala Rao; Director of School Education Thameem Ansariya; and Managing Director of the Educational Infrastructure Corporation Deeven Reddy, among others.

In a separate review meeting with officials of the Department of Higher Education and Skill Development, Mr. Lokesh directed them to ensure that the recruitment of 1,523 faculty positions (Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors) across state universities is conducted with the highest standards of transparency, quality, and fairness.

Officials informed him that 1,89,316 applications have been received so far. The Minister instructed them to undertake data-driven cross-verification of every application, issue clear recruitment guidelines to university selection committees, and complete the recruitment process at the earliest.

He said that for the proposed framework for establishing Skill Universities, strong industry linkages and sector-specific partnerships should be established, and the legislation should serve as a national model for future skill universities. Mr. Lokesh also said that the Naipunyam (Skill) portal should be launched in July to benefit unemployed youth, and that every registered individual would receive an online Skill Card.