By Sujatha Varma
Copyright thehindu
Minister for Human Resource Development Nara Lokesh on Tuesday said he was ready to debate with Opposition leaders on the issue of fee reimbursement.
Speaking in the Legislative Council, Mr. Lokesh stated that the YSR Congress Party had left unpaid arrears of ₹4,000 crore related to student fee reimbursement. Responding to this, Leader of the Opposition in the Council Botcha Satyanarayana denied the claim. Mr. Lokesh reiterated that he was ready for a debate on the matter.
He noted that the ruling TDP-led coalition government had already released ₹1,200 crore for 2024-25 and promised to clear the remaining ₹1,400 crore within three months. He questioned why the YSRCP had not raised the issue in the Business Advisory Committee meeting and accused it of misleading the House. Mr. Lokesh also reminded Mr. Satyanarayana that his party members had staged a walkout during an earlier session when a debate on education was held. He added that 12 lakh students had dropped out of government schools during the YSRCP’s rule.
Referring to the ‘Thalli ki Vandanam’ scheme, the Minister said 66.57 lakh students had benefitted so far. He explained that the ₹2,000 deduction per student was being used to improve school infrastructure, sanitation, management, and strengthen the overall learning ecosystem.
On Dr. YSR Architecture and Fine Arts University in Kadapa, Mr. Lokesh said admissions had begun in 2020-21 without proper approvals, creating hardships for the first two batches of students. He said the previous government’s decisions had caused the crisis, which the current double-engine government aimed to resolve through Central intervention by August this year.
Regarding teacher recruitment and school reforms, Mr. Lokesh highlighted that the government had achieved the “One Class-One Teacher” initiative in 9,600 primary schools, compared to just 1,200 schools under the previous G.O. 117. He noted that no other state in the country had implemented it on this scale. The government is also focusing on Guaranteed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in government schools, with an emphasis on learning outcomes and moral education.
