Akshara Andhra on Track to Achieve 100% Literacy
The minister directed the officials to make another 25 lakh people literate by March 2027 and the remaining 27 lakh by September 2027.
Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh government is working towards achieving 100 per cent literacy by September 2027, with the Akshara Andhra programme showing encouraging results, education minister Nara Lokesh said on Tuesday.
Reviewing the performance of the school education and Intermediate education departments with senior officials, Lokesh said the literacy rate in Andhra Pradesh had risen from 72.6 per cent in 2024 to 82.1 per cent, with around 25 lakh people becoming literate in the past year.
Officials said the Centre had appreciated the state’s efforts after the improvement was reflected in the latest adult education examination results.
The minister directed the officials to make another 25 lakh people literate by March 2027 and the remaining 27 lakh by September 2027.
Eleven government departments are coordinating the literacy drive. Lokesh urged MLAs and local elected representatives to be actively involved in Akshara Andhra and mobilise people for the programme.
Intermediate education commissioner P. Ranjit Basha said second-year Intermediate results had improved this year, while admissions increased by around 10,000 compared to last year. A roadmap had been prepared under the Sankalp Academic Support Programme to provide special classes for academically backward students.
Under Thalliki Vandanam, Intermediate students had received a financial assistance of `1,051 crore, with arrangements under way to extend the benefit to first-year students. Lokesh directed the officials to ensure 100 per cent integration of APAAR IDs for Intermediate students.
Lokesh asked officials to track every school-age child and ensure that all 1,64,821 out-of-school children in the state were enrolled in schools. School education director Tameem Ansaria said 33,000 children had been enrolled this year, while details of the remaining children had been shared with headmasters through the Leap app.
Teacher attendance had risen to 98.97 per cent, while student attendance stood at 85.41 per cent. The minister directed schools to contact parents and counsel them if a student remained absent for three consecutive days. School management committees would also be entrusted with the responsibility.
Lokesh appreciated the conduct of cluster-complex meetings and said teachers would be trained in AI tools under the AI Samarth initiative. He also reviewed Mission March-2026 for Class 10 students and discussed the mandatory Special TET for in-service teachers in compliance with Supreme Court directions.
The minister announced that arrangements had been made to honour 192 best teachers in Vijayawada on September 5 marking Teachers’ Day. There would be no compromise on the quality of the mid-day meal programme, he said, and asked teachers and parents to provide feedback through the Leap app.
The minister stressed stress-free learning and students’ mental development and directed officials to establish autism centres at 125 locations across the state.
