Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh attended a review meeting on education and skill development at Belagapudi Secretariat near Vijayawada. File photo: Special arrangement
Four months after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government took office in Andhra Pradesh, it is working to improve learning outcomes in government schools, one of the indicators of quality of education. are. Despite several reforms launched in the education sector by the previous YSR Congress Party government, there were serious concerns among Education Ministry officials about learning outcomes.
There are 58,950 schools in Andhra Pradesh, of which 44,617 are government schools, 13,249 are private aided schools, including madrassas, and 1,084 are private aided management schools. Together they can accommodate 7,220,633 students and 2,96,274 teachers. Of these teachers, 1,85,023 are working in government schools.
The previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government had rolled out a series of initiatives aimed at developing global citizenship. Under the Mana Badi Nadu Nedu program, the school infrastructure has been significantly renovated. Interactive flat panels were installed in traditional classrooms. Free tabs filled with Byju content were distributed to class 8 students. The Jagananna Amma Vodi Scheme provided financial assistance to poor mothers and guardians to send their children to school. Under the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme, school kits were provided to students from grades 1 to 10 in government schools. The Jagananna Golmuddha scheme provided nutritious meals to the students.
The government has also signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with various companies to introduce new learning methods to children. In collaboration with the International Baccalaureate (IB), we introduced the IB curriculum to public schools. We partnered with US-based Educational Testing Services to help students improve their English communication skills. The government has also partnered with the education app Duolingo to teach foreign languages such as Japanese and French in public schools. Although all these programs were introduced in good faith, teachers and students were not adequately prepared to take advantage of these new plans.
Human Resource Development Minister Nala Lokesh believes there needs to be consistency in the education system. He called on the ministry to adopt a collaborative approach by involving all stakeholders in this “transformational journey”. He also heeded teachers’ pleas to be exempted from the requirement to take daily photos of their toilets and upload them to the department’s website. He assured teachers that the government will consider whether it is possible to revoke the order addressing the criteria for redistribution of teachers in compliance with the Right to Education (RTE), the law and the National Education Policy 2020. School management committee. Teachers are motivated to join the collective march to achieve realistic goals. Among the department’s priority areas is fine-tuning the curriculum to align with classroom lesson plans. Standardize teacher training. Take a close look at the evaluation patterns. And make sure that after-school remedial classes are held for slow learners.
To encourage competition, schools will soon be assessed and schools will be introduced to a comprehensive progress card or HPC to assess progress in students’ cognitive, social, emotional and physical abilities. Officials believe HPC will also provide a comprehensive view of student growth and development, helping teachers and parents understand how to support children. The government also plans to gradually incorporate vocational training into the curriculum.
Financing infrastructure is a major challenge for governments already facing a severe fiscal crisis. To address this, it is planning to involve the community, especially non-resident Telugu people. The state wants to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility by encouraging people to contribute to local educational projects and decision-making processes.
This shows that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has a vision for education reforms in Andhra Pradesh. The purpose is clear, but the devil is in the details and implementation. Only a systematic and comprehensive approach will ensure improved learning outcomes.
Published – October 28, 2024 2:01 AM IST
