Edu, medicare remain top priority of AP govt
Under first phase of Nadu Nedu 15,715 schools were revamped at a cost of Rs 3,700 cr
image for illustrative purpose
Vijayawada: Reiterating that the amount being spent on education is an investment for a better future, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday said it works in shaping the generation next into a confident and competent youth to start their careers.
He said drastic changes in the medical and health sector are being brought in to bring quality medicare within the reach of the needy.
Concluding the short discussion on Vidya Vaidyam Nadu Nedu in the State Assembly, the Chief Minister said the State government has been striving not just for right to education but for right to English medium and right to higher education with incentives from pre-primary to college education while the previous dispensation had tried to push back government schools into oblivion to benefit corporate schools with vested interest.
'We have chalked out our priorities well and wanted to see that the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is drastically improved by providing incentives and also revamping the schools under Nadu Nedu. We have instructed that 12 visible changes should be in place in the government schools which include, toilets, clean drinking water, repairs, tube lights and fans, furniture for students and teachers, green chalk boards, painting, English lab, compound wall, kitchen shed, additional rooms and digital interactive panels.
Besides government schools even preprimary foundation schools and anganwadi hostels are also being developed under Nadu Nedu. In the first phase 15,715 schools were revamped with a cost of Rs 3,700 crore and the digitisation of class rooms will be in place from next academic year.
The second phase of modernisation has started, the Chief Minister said and has given the visual presentation of schools in Chandrababu Naidu's birthplace Naravari palle and Kuppam before and after taking up the Nadu Nedu programme.
The GER in primary schools for 2015-16 in the State was very poor and we could increase it drastically through the schemes like Amma Vodi, Goru Muddha, Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Devena. While government schools had 37.20 lakh students in 2018-19, it increased to 44.29 lakh in 2021-22, he said.
Amma Vodi has been a unique scheme under which mother is incentivized to send her children to school with Rs 15,000 per annum with the rider of 75 per cent attendance and Rs 1,000 each should be contributed toward toilets and school maintenance funds for upkeep of schools.
During the three years Rs 19, 617 crore were spent under the scheme.
Under Gorumuddha scheme, with daily changing menu and nutritious food, the State has been spending Rs 1,800 crore while it was just Rs 450 crore annually by the previous government, which did not clear the dues of ayaas (helpers) and provisions as well.
Vidya Kanuka kits with a school bag, bilingual text books, work books, note books, three pairs of uniform, shoes, two pairs of socks, dictionary are being given to students on the school reopening day itself which cost about Rs 886 core and for 8th class students and teachers 5.18 lakh tabs would be given in November last week.
The tabs would have a preloaded Byjus content which would serve as a home tutorial, he said. The Byjus content, which would otherwise cost about Rs 24,000 would be given free of cost.
