Lokesh Seeks Wider Singapore Role In AP Education, Governance

Addressing the third meeting of the Singapore-Andhra Pradesh joint implementation standing committee at the AP capital region development authority (APCRDA) office in Amaravati on Wednesday, Lokesh said capacity-building programmes in the education sector, undertaken with Singapore's support, had yielded encouraging results.

He urged the Singapore government to extend its expertise to more areas of governance.

The meeting, attended by senior officials from both governments, reviewed the progress AP made under the memorandum of understanding to develop Amaravati as a modern, integrated and sustainable capital city. Discussions covered the implementation of decisions taken at the previous two meetings and future areas of cooperation.

Lokesh thanked the Singapore government for organising training programmes for six Andhra Pradesh ministers and 37 teachers. He proposed sending outstanding teachers to Singapore during the summer vacation to gain exposure to international teaching methods.

He said teachers returning from the training should share their knowledge and experience with colleagues across the state. School complex meetings should be used for this purpose so that the benefits reached all teachers. Capacity-building initiatives in the education department “should focus on mentoring, guidance and administration.”

Under the Singapore-assisted SAGE programme, Lokesh suggested that ministers and secretaries of the respective departments undergo training together rather than attend separate programmes. Joint training would improve coordination between policy formulation and implementation. He also called for expanding leadership development, modern administrative practices, digital skills training and experience-sharing programmes for senior government officials and civil servants.

Seeking Singapore's expertise in digital transformation, real-time governance, integrated digital platforms, command and control centres and data-driven decision-making, Lokesh, who handles related departments, said AP wanted to draw on Singapore’s experience in these areas.

He said successive cyclones in AP had delayed the implementation of some proposed initiatives. The state would overcome these disruptions and take the programmes forward, he said, seeking stronger cooperation from the Singapore government in skill development, government employee training and technology adoption.

Lokesh expressed concern over delays in implementing decisions taken at earlier JISC meetings and directed the officials to review the progress of implementation every six months. He said proper planning and continuous monitoring were essential to achieving the agreed targets.

Officials informed the minister that a dedicated nodal officer had been appointed to monitor implementation.

The Singapore delegation responded positively to Andhra Pradesh's proposals, with discussions covering education, skill development, digital administration and leadership training. The delegation was led by Gun Siew Huang and included representatives from its ministries of foreign affairs and trade and industry, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, Enterprise Singapore and its diplomatic missions in India.

Andhra Pradesh was represented by principal secretary (finance and planning) Piyush Kumar, special chief secretary (CCLA) G Jayalakshmi, APCRDA commissioner Vijayarama Raju, higher education commissioner Bharat Gupta, skill development MD Ganesh Kumar and other senior officials.