Reiterating that the amount being spent on education is an investment for a better future, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that education works in shaping the generation next into a confident and competent youth to start their careers.
Concluding the short discussion on Vidya Vaidyam Nadu Nedu in the State Assembly here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said the State Government has been striving not just for the right to education but for the right to English medium and right to higher education with incentives from pre-primary to college education while the previous dispensation had tried to push back government schools into oblivion to benefit corporate schools with a vested interest. He also said that drastic changes in the medical and health sector are being brought in to bring quality medicare within the reach of the needy.
“We have chalked out our priorities well and wanted to see that the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is drastically improved by providing incentives and also revamping the schools under Nadu Nedu. We have instructed that 12 visible changes should be in place in the government schools which include, toilets, clean drinking water, repairs, tube lights and fans, furniture for students and teachers, green chalkboards, painting, English lab, compound wall, kitchen shed, additional rooms and digital interactive panels,” Jagan said.
“Besides government schools, even pre-primary foundation schools and Anganwadi hostels are also being developed under Nadu Nedu. In the first phase, 15,715 schools were revamped with a cost of Rs 3.700 crore and the digitization of classrooms will be in place from next academic year,” Jagan added.
The Andhra Pradesh CM also said that the second phase of modernization has started and he has given the visual presentation of schools in Chandrababu Naidu’s birthplace Naravari Palle and Kuppam before and after taking up the Nadu Nedu programme. “The GER in primary schools for 2015-16 in the State was very poor and we could increase it drastically through the schemes like Amma Vodi, Goru Muddha, Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Devena. While government schools had 37.20 lakh students in 2018-19, it increased to 44.29 lakh in 2021-22,” Jagan said.
“Amma Vodi has been a unique scheme under which mother is incentivized to send her children to school with Rs 15,000 per annum with the rider of 75 per cent attendance and Rs 1,000 each should be contributed toward Toilets and School Maintenance Funds for the upkeep of schools. During the three years Rs 19, 617 crores were spent under the scheme,” Jagan further said.
The Andhra CM also talked about his schemes ‘Gorumuddha’ and ‘Vidaya Deevena’.
“Under Gorumuddha, with a daily changing menu and nutritious food, the State has been spending Rs 1,800 crore while it was just Rs 450 crore annually by the previous government, which did not clear the dues of ayas and provisions as well,” Jagan said. “Vidaya Deevena is the other incentive where full fees reimbursement is given along with Vasathi Devena which takes care of the hostel and mess charges and the total amount works out to Rs 11,717 crores. The curriculum is changed with job orientation so that the youth would come out of colleges ready to face the competitive world with confidence,” Jagan said.
Vidya kanuka kits with a school bag, bilingual textbooks, workbooks, notebooks, three pairs of uniforms, shoes, two pairs of socks, dictionary are being given to students on the school reopening day itself which cost about Rs 886 cores and for 8th class students and teachers 5.18 lakh tabs would be given in November last week. The tabs would have preloaded Byjus content which would serve as a home tutorial, he said. The Byjus content, which would otherwise cost about Rs 24,000 would be given free of cost.
