In a similar development, the education minister in Andhra Pradesh, Nara Lokesh, inaugurated the mid-day meal program for the intermediate students of the state. The launch of the program happened at the Payakapuram Government Junior College, Vijayawada, and the same event saw visits to the college's chemistry and physics laboratories in the wake of the initiative. Other notable individuals who attended the event included Minister Satyakumar, MP Shivnath, and Bonda Uma.
Lokesh told students that education will provide them good employment opportunities; thus, studying hard will better take care of families. At the same time, he mentioned, government schools have been upgraded, so that people don't hesitate to send children to these institutes.
Lokesh stated that inequality should be eliminated at the grassroot level of the education system, beginning with students. He added that textbook illustrations where boys are associated with toys of games and girls with household work is also an area of inequality. In order to end this, he has instructed removal of all gender discrimination material from books and educational resources.
He stated that the education system must remain non-political. In his words, to maintain the education system's neutrality, initiatives were launched in the names of influential personalities. The values equality and self-confidence students must inculcate have to be achieved in the students, according to Lokesh, which makes them stand bold and fight back against failure.
He recalled his personal experience of losing the 2019 Mangalagiri election but later winning with a record victory through persistence. He advised students not to lose hope because of academic failures and instead take bold steps forward.
Lokesh also spoke about the mid-day meal scheme for junior colleges, which was earlier initiated by the TDP government but was put on hold by the YSRCP government. He has now decided to continue the scheme with the coalition government to help the students of junior colleges.
The reintroduction of the mid-day meal scheme and efforts to modernize government schools underscore the commitment to providing equitable and accessible education. By addressing systemic challenges and promoting inclusivity, Lokesh’s initiatives aim to create a more robust and fair education system in Andhra Pradesh.
