DSC Recruitment Every Year, Says Lokesh

Chairing a review meeting with education officials at the state capital on Friday, the minister pointed out that the state recently conducted the largest-ever DSC recruitment and filled 16,347 posts. “We implemented educational reforms with the aim of improving learning outcomes. There must be visible results,” he said.

Highlighting the ASER report, which ranked Andhra Pradesh 14th at the national level in implementing the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme, Lokesh said the government was committed to making FLN a right for every child. Teachers, he said, must ensure that even children in remote villages are not left behind.

Lokesh also reviewed the welfare programmes, including Talli Ki Vandanam, under which the government has released the final tranche of `325 crore to clear pending applications. He directed officials to ensure timely release of fee reimbursement funds for 2024-25 to prevent hardships to students.

Plans, Lokesh said, are under way to provide land for newly sanctioned Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas with the cooperation of donors. Officials would study the pre-school policies of Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Gujarat to adopt a model suited for Andhra Pradesh.

The minister called for the holding of science and sports fairs at the mandal, district and state levels as per the academic calendar. On Constitution Day, students would be invited to participate in a mock special session of the assembly with the Speaker’s approval.

Lokesh emphasised the need to strengthen government and model schools across the state with the support of NRIs, philanthropists and corporate donors. A dedicated website would be launched, listing schools and their infrastructural requirements to encourage voluntary adoption/support of these institutions by donors.

The minister said modern science centres would be started in Anantapur, Nellore, Eluru, Kadapa, and Chittoor. The construction of 125 Autism Centres would begin soon and be completed within a year.

Best library for Amaravati: The education minister unveiled a plan to construct the country’s finest central library in Amaravati, on a plot of 2 lakh sq-ft, within a year. The minister asked officials to fast-track the proposed regional library at Jagadamba Junction, Visakhapatnam. He proposed the creation of an integrated digital platform that would link all libraries across the state, providing details on infrastructure, ensuring book availability and proper library management.

Lokesh said the around ₹213 crore in pending cess funds from local bodies should be recovered to improve the standards of libraries. He asked officials to organise community-driven programmes to attract youths and students to libraries and make full use of the funds sanctioned under the National Mission for Libraries.

Pointing to Rajahmundry Library’s sanction of ₹87 lakh and success stories where 350 candidates secured constable jobs using library resources, the minister sought a statewide campaign highlighting the benefits of libraries. All competitive exam material, he said, must be made readily available in government libraries.