Reforms in education sector yielding good response, says AP CM

Kovvuru (East Godavari dist): The dropout number at the Intermediate level has come down to 22,387 from 81,813 in 2018-19 in Andhra Pradesh, the number of students pursuing engineering courses has gone up to 1,20,000 from 87,000, said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy while stressing that this is a pointer to the successful response to reforms being implemented by the YSRCP Government in the education sector.

He was addressing students and parents after releasing the amount for total fee reimbursement of 9.95 lakh students for the first quarter of 2023. The amount is being credited into the bank accounts of students’ mothers.

The Chief Minister said that pursuing higher education is the right of the poor and the government has been implementing the Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Vidya Deevena to help poor students pursue higher education.

As suggested by social reformers like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr BR Ambedkar and Savitri Bai Phule, higher education only can eradicate poverty, he said, adding that the Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena are being implemented with commitment to drive away poverty from the society.

Under Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Vidya Deevena alone, the government has so far spent Rs 14,912.43 crore including the arrears of Rs 1,778 crore kept pending by the previous TDP Government, he said, adding that the YSRCP Government is disbursing the Vidya Deevena funds at the end of each quarter.

Strongly objecting to the campaign of the TDP and its friendly media that the government has been pushing the State towards insolvency with Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena, he said the expenditure incurred on education is the investment for the development of human resources. “Soon, AP will become the address for skilled manpower and show the way for the entire country,” he stated, asking the students to pursue higher education goals unmindful of the expenses involved.