Towards a coherent education policy : Valley Vision

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh during a review meeting on education and skill development at the Secretariat at Velagapudi near Vijayawada. File Photo: Special Arrangement

The four month-old Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh is striving to improve learning outcomes in government schools, which is one of the indicators of the quality of education. Despite several reforms launched by the previous YSR Congress Party government in the education sector, there have been serious concerns among officials in the education department about learning outcomes.

Andhra Pradesh has 58,950 schools of which 44,617 are government institutions, 13,249 are private unaided institutions, including Madrasas, and 1,084 are private aided management schools. Together they accommodate 72,20,633 students and 2,96,274 teachers. Of these teachers, 1,85,023 work in government schools.

The previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government had rolled out a series of initiatives with the aim of creating global citizens. The infrastructure in schools received a major facelift under the Mana Badi Nadu Nedu programme. Interactive Flat Panels were installed in conventional classrooms. Free tabs loaded with content from Byju’s were distributed to Class 8 students. The Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme provided financial assistance to poor mothers or guardians to send their children to school. The Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme provided school kits to government school students from Classes 1 to 10. The Jagananna Gorumudda scheme provided nutritious meals to student.

The government also signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with various companies to introduce children to new modes of learning. It collaborated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) to introduce the IB curriculum in government schools. It partnered with the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service to help students improve their communication skills in English. The government also partnered with Duolingo, an education app, to teach foreign languages such as Japanese and French in state-run schools. All these programmes were introduced in good faith, but the teachers and students were not adequately prepared to gain leverage from these new schemes.

The Minister for Human Resources Development, Nara Lokesh, believes that there needs to be coherence in the education system. He has asked department officials to adopt a coordinated approach by involving all stakeholders in this “transformative journey”. He has also heeded the plea of teachers that they be spared from the duty of taking photographs of toilets every day and uploading them on the department website. He has assured teachers that the government would look into the feasibility of revoking an order which addresses the reapportionment norms for teaching staff in adherence to the Right to Education (RTE), Act, and the National Education Policy, 2020. Department officials have set up school management committees. Teachers are being motivated to be part of the collective march to achieve realistic goals. Some of the areas of priority for the department are to tweak the curriculum to align with classroom lesson plans; standardise teacher training; take a long, hard look at assessment patterns; and ensure that remedial classes are conducted for slow learners after school hours.

Schools will soon be rated to promote competition, and a holistic progress card or HPC will be introduced in schools to assess a student’s progress in cognitive, social, emotional and physical abilities. Officials believe that the HPC will provide a comprehensive view of the growth and development of a student and will also help teachers and parents understand how to support the child. The government also plans to gradually integrate vocational training in the curriculum.

Funding infrastructure is a major challenge for the government, which is already grappling with a severe financial crisis. To address this, it has plans to involve the community, especially non-resident Telugus. By encouraging people to contribute to local educational projects and decision-making processes, the State wants to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility.

This shows that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has a vision for educational reforms in Andhra Pradesh. While the aim is clear, the devil lies in the details and in implementation. Only a systematic, comprehensive approach will ensure that learning outcomes improve.