Vijayawada: Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday proposed the sharing of educational content by leveraging social media platforms. He suggested involving school alumni, parents, and subject experts willing to take special classes, in order to create and share educational content and raise funds for school development. Naidu, along with Education Minister Nara Lokesh and Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, presented awards to 175 best teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.The Chief Minister said he feels envious and frustrated when other states perform better than Andhra Pradesh in any sector. “I want Andhra Pradesh to be the number one state in education—it’s very close to my heart,” he said. “The greatest asset a parent can give their child is education. The changes I introduced during my first stint as Chief Minister created lakhs of bright students who are now working across the world as IT professionals.”

Naidu emphasised that these are inspiring times as rapid technological advancements are transforming the world, with India poised to take a leadership role in the global knowledge economy. He stressed that teachers play a crucial role in shaping future generations and achieving the goals of Vikasit Bharat and Swarnandhra. Highlighting the importance of upgrading technical skills, Naidu said it is essential to prepare for the age of Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing.

Asserting his government’s commitment to the welfare of teachers, Naidu said that over 80% of the state’s current teachers were recruited during his previous tenure. “I may be blamed for delays in other departments, but I have never delayed recruitment in the education sector,” he said.

He cited the example of education minister Lokesh, who was once an average student but improved significantly due to his teachers’ guidance. “Every teacher should aim to produce excellent students,” he said. Naidu proposed printing a book featuring the innovative ideas of award-winning teachers and distributing it to every school in the state to help adopt best practices.

Reflecting on his own academic journey, Naidu shared that he once aspired to become a teacher and had even been offered a lecturer post by the then vice-chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University. “I turned it down because I had already decided to enter politics,” he recalled.
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Bridge courses, empathy can transform govt schools: Lokesh

“I used to be a backbencher in school, but with the help and guidance of my teachers, I was able to go to Stanford,” said Nara Lokesh, Minister for Education, IT, and Electronics. Lokesh said four teachers played a key role in shaping his academic and personal growth. “In politics, my father and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is my teacher for life,” he added.

He credited bridge courses designed by educationist P. Narayana for helping him strengthen his fundamentals and urged teachers to support slow learners in a similar way. Lokesh emphasized the importance of improving Andhra Pradesh’s national education rankings. The minister noted that the NDA government has implemented several reforms to improve learning outcomes and reaffirmed its commitment to developing the education sector. He urged teachers to champion these reforms and help build trust in government schools.

“Most students in government schools come from economically disadvantaged families. A little push from teachers can help them achieve great things,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to show people that government schools mean high returns with zero investment.”