Nara Lokesh Urges Officials to Prioritize Academic Performance and Facilities

Nara Lokesh, Minister of Education, IT, and Electronics for Andhra Pradesh, emphasized the need to focus on aligning infrastructure development and academic performance in government schools. Speaking during a review meeting on the Human Resources Department at the Secretariat, he criticized the lack of attention to the education sector over the past five years and outlined plans for the next five years to create a model education system in the state.

Nara Lokesh stated, “There is no alignment between infrastructure and academic results in government schools. Transparent policies and concerted efforts are needed to achieve better outcomes. We are distributing district-wise progress report cards to the schools, incorporating both infrastructure and academic performance metrics. Officials must concentrate on the 100-day action plan to address these gaps.”

He further highlighted the government’s goals of increasing enrollment in government schools and achieving zero dropouts. Lokesh urged district collectors to focus on improving the midday meal program by providing nutritious, locally tailored menus. He also emphasized the need for attention to hostel facilities and hygiene in higher education institutions, noting that several complaints have been received in this area.

“To address these issues, we have implemented a weekly feedback mechanism from students to identify areas of improvement in mess and hostel facilities. Based on this feedback, necessary steps will be taken to enhance living conditions,” he stated.

Nara Lokesh also announced the launch of large-scale awareness campaigns under the banner "Drugs Vaddhu Bro" (Say No to Drugs, Bro) to combat drug use in schools and colleges. He directed the formation of Eagle Teams and clubs in educational institutions to raise awareness and instill responsibility among students.

Additionally, he mentioned the ongoing efforts to revamp the K-12 to postgraduate curriculum and address technical challenges related to the Aadhar-linked student ID (Apaar ID) system, which had caused inconvenience to parents. “Officials must work diligently to resolve these technical issues and ensure the program is implemented transparently,” he added.