Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy directs all state govt schools to get CBSE affliation by 2024

In a major reform, Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday, directed officials to get CBSE affiliation for all government schools, to ensure students write CBSE exams in 2024. Moreover, Reddy has also directed to map schools without playgrounds and acquire required lands to ensure playgrounds in pre-high schools. Apart from these, Reddy has also reviewed other reforms like - mapping of teachers, maintenance work of schools, Amma Vodi scheme etc.

Andhra CM directs state govt schools to complete CBSE affiliation by 2024 

What is the Naadu Nedu program?

Reddy's biggest educational reform was the 'Naadu-Nedu' programme in which he aimed to convert state govt schools into English medium. As per the 'Naadu-Nedu' programme announced in November 2019, all Mandal Parishad Primary School (MPP) and Zilla Parishad schools and government schools will be covered under the scheme. Classes 1-8 were to  be converted into English medium from the academic year 2020-2021 while classes 9 and 10 were to be converted from the academic year 2021-2022, under the scheme.

But his attempts ran into legal troubles after the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the order on the grounds that it was a violation of Article 21-A and that parents of economically weaker students will not be able to aide their kids. In a bid to counter it, the state govt moved the Supreme Court but the apex court refused to relax the stay. The case is currently pending in the Supreme Court.

In June, the Jagan govt directed all government, private aided and unaided degree (graduation-level) colleges in the state to compulsorily adopt English as the medium of instruction. As per govt statistics, of the 2.62 lakh students who joined degree colleges in the 2020-21 academic session, 65,981 were from the Telugu medium background. BJP has accused Jagan Mohan Reddy govt of attempting to wipe out Telugu culture.

Under the Naadu Nedu programme, the government has reportedly allocated Rs. 6000 crores for the next four years to revolutionise the education sector. The programme aims at modernising all public schools by improving the basic amenities in schools. Reddy aimed to take up 15000 schools in the first phase of the programme which was to be completed by March 2020 and the remaining 40,000 schools will be improved in the next phase. Previously, former CM Chandrababu Naidu too had issued a government order to convert schools into English medium. But this move reportedly failed after facing resistance from different parties including associations of teachers.