Lokesh laments declinein educational standards

Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh, on Wednesday, expressed deep concern that the academic standards in schools in the State have plunged deeply due to the imprudent decisions of the previous YSRCP government.
Replying to the members, Duvvarapu Rama Rao, P Ashok Babu and B Tirumala Naidu, in the Legislative Council, Nara Lokesh said that there is a decline in academic standards when compared to the 2014-2024 period during the YSRCP rule. The fifth-class students found it very difficult to read even the second grade Telugu books. “The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has clearly mentioned that while 57 per cent of the students could easily read the books in 2014, the percentage has fallen to 37.5 during the YSRCP rule,” the Minister for Education said.
In 2014, almost 80 per cent of the eighth standard students could easily read second grade Telugu books in 2014, this has fallen to 53 per cent by 2024, Lokesh regretted. During the YSRCP government, the total strength of government schools and junior colleges came down by a whooping 12 lakh which has now reached to a mere 33.4 lakh, the Education Minister said.
“That YSRCP government had forcibly imposed inadvertent decisions and unplanned reforms on parents and teachers,” he said. and felt that the students opted private schools as local issues were not taken into consideration while releasing the GO 117. Declaring that 10 to 15 radical reforms are being introduced in the academic sector by the TDP-led NDA Government to improve the educational standards, Lokesh made it clear that political interference will be totally avoided in the process of the transfer of teachers.
“With a view to getting the best outcome, the Cabinet passed the Teachers Transfers Act, which was presented before the Assembly on Wednesday and will come before the Upper House on Thursday,” the Education Minister said.
Technology will be incorporated into teaching, he said, adding that after the lessons are taught the teachers should present a 60-second video to sum-up the lessons and the students will be assessed later with the help of Clicker Technology. Then prescriptive homework will be given, he said.
Maintaining that a mega teacher meeting has already been conducted, Lokesh said that this kind of meeting will be conducted twice in the coming academic year. An excellent progress card has also been designed for an interaction among the teachers, parents and students. The NDA government is making every effort to extend quality education to students through Model Primary School concept by appointing one teacher for a class which has over 60 student strength, the Minister said.