Nara Lokesh says govt schools will be upgraded to be on par with private ones

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education and IT Nara Lokesh on Friday (February 13, 2026) said the coalition government is committed to upgrading infrastructure in government schools and making them competitive with private institutions.

Replying in the Legislative Council to questions raised by members Parvatareddy Chandrasekhar Reddy, T. Kalpalatha and M.V. Ramachandra Reddy, the Minister said officials have estimated that nearly ₹7,500 crore is required to strengthen basic facilities in government schools. He said a star rating system based on 18 parameters was introduced, which revealed that nearly 40% of schools were rated below two stars.

Mr. Lokesh noted that during his visits, including to Chittoor district, several schools had the issue of leakage in the roofs, benches, furniture, painting, drinking water and toilet facilities, were below the standards. “Our priority is to first ensure critical infrastructure,” he said, adding that pending works are under review.

He said the government introduced a “one teacher per class” policy under Model Primary Schools as an alternative to GO 117, increasing such coverage from 3% earlier to 33% now.

Stating that 233 schools developed earlier under Nadu-Nedu were later closed, he questioned why ₹500 crore in pending bills were not cleared during the previous regime. He claimed the government cleared the dues and is focusing on guaranteed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy through AI tools after learning outcomes declined between 2019 and 2024.