Chose education portfolio to bring social change, says HRD Minister Nara Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education Nara Lokesh on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) said he deliberately chose the Education portfolio, one of the most challenging departments in government, because he believes education is the most effective tool for bringing positive change in society.

Addressing teachers and students after inaugurating newly constructed buildings at the Zilla Parishad High School in Kokkiligadda village of Mopidevi mandal, he said changing the education system is a challenge he has willingly accepted and that success can only be achieved through the collective efforts of teachers, parents and officials.

Mr. Lokesh inaugurated newly constructed school buildings built at a cost of ₹1.4 crore with donor support under the P4 programme. Interacting with teachers, he said the government had completed major reforms in the education sector during the last two years and that the focus should now shift to improving learning outcomes and academic performance. He noted that while the government has strengthened school facilities across the State, the responsibility of improving student achievement now rests with teachers.

The Minister said significant improvements have been made in school facilities and buildings. “The hardware has improved; now we need to improve the software, which means learning outcomes,” he said, and noted that all essential facilities except a library and computer laboratory had already been provided to the Kokkiligadda High School. He urged teachers to closely monitor formative and summative assessment results, identify students who are lagging behind in specific subjects and provide them with targeted support. The government would supply bridge-course material to help such students improve, he said and called upon teachers to work towards achieving 100% pass results.

The Minister said that for the first time, the government had issued newspaper advertisements featuring meritorious students from government schools, giving them public recognition. He also informed them that any problems related to school administration or teaching could be communicated directly to him through the LEAP App, without having to approach Mandal or District Education Officers.

Mr. Lokesh announced that statewide parent-teacher meetings are planned for July 16, 17 and 18 and urged teachers to motivate parents to download and use the LEAP App. He stressed that his vision of creating an “AP Model of Education” can only be realised through teamwork.

Teachers informed the Minister that initiatives such as the 100-Day Action Plan and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme were producing encouraging results. Mr. Lokesh said the long-term objective should be to ensure that students become academically strong enough not to require such interventions. He also noted the social challenges faced by girls who fail Class 10 examinations and urged teachers to pay special attention to their progress.