By Ajeya Kallam
‘Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world’, believed Nelson Mandela. This mantra is now being put into practice by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, who understands how important it is to invest in human capital, by building the right foundation through education.
No wonder, the AP government now earmarks over Rs 30,000 crore a year 12% of the state budget for education. I have had the privilege of witnessing the impact of these efforts, particularly when it comes to schemes like ‘Nadu-Nedu’, ‘Amma Vodi’ and ‘Videshi Vidya Deevena’.
The reforms are game-changers, indeed. Starting with Amma Vodi, the initiative provides financial assistance of `15,000 to poor and needy mothers if they send their children (Class 1 to Intermediate) to school. So far, the government has credited Rs 19,617 crore directly in the last three and a half years, of which `6,595 crore was credited into the accounts directly for Rs 44,48,865 mothers in 2022 alone.
The primary objective of this scheme is to ensure that no mother is deprived of sending her children to school due to poverty. The scheme has been instrumental in promoting enrolment and retention in government schools, particularly among girls. The results have been outstanding, with a 25% decrease in the dropout rate in the last two years. In comparison, the previous TDP government saw a rise of 10% in the dropout rate in schools.
In addition to ‘Amma Vodi’, there is the ‘Videshi Vidya Deevena’ scheme, which provides financial assistance to students who cannot afford to pursue higher education abroad. Because of this scheme, the number of students pursuing higher education abroad has jumped by a whopping 50% in the last two years.
By December 2022, 1,645 students had received aid totalling`112 crore under this scheme. The first instalment for students applying this year was released on February 3, where 213 students were given assistance of `20 crore.
Another reform is ‘Mana Badi – Nadu Nedu’, which aims to upgrade the infrastructure and facilities in government schools to bring them on a par with private schools. The state has already spent over Rs 4,000 crore on this, with a focus on providing clean drinking water, toilets, electricity and furniture in government schools. As many as 44,512 schools have been transformed so far.
As a crusader of quality education who believes that class and caste should not be a deterrent to education, the CM introduced the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme, where every eligible student from the SC, ST, BC, EBC, Kapu, Minority, and Differently-Abled categories gets 100% fee reimbursement, including tuition, special, and examination fees. The state has disbursed Rs 9,051 crore to 24,74,544 beneficiaries so far.
Under the ‘Jagananna Vasathi Deevena’ more than 1 million BPL students have been provided financial assistance to cover the hostel and mess charges. Another initiative of the CM is the introduction of English medium in government schools. With this, enrolment in English medium schools has increased by 40% in the last two years.
This has helped bridge the language barrier, a major impediment so far. Not just ideation, the implementation of the schemes also stands out. This metamorphosis of AP’s education sector is the result of specific policies catering to the needs of students coming from different backgrounds, leading to the state ranking seventh in the country in 2021 compared to 24th in 2018, in the Union education ministry’s Performance Grading Index.
Many accused the CM of having ‘wasted’ all the money in welfare schemes. But what dividend will a flyover pay when children are deprived of education? Should development be measured by the number of buildings or by the people capable enough to build their future? Further evaluation is needed to understand the reforms’ long-term impact and identify areas for improvement.
As the CM says, says, ‘My greatest investment is in the field of education as I believe in the development of strong and capable human capital since education equips and empowers children with knowledge, skills, and values for succeeding in life.’