Andhra Pradesh Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh said he chose the education portfolio because he wanted to contribute to society “at scale”, citing his Stanford MBA background and outlining a series of reforms aimed at improving schools, examinations and student outcomes.
Speaking at the India Today South Conclave in Kochi, Lokesh said education had to be aligned with the requirements of the future and acknowledged that reforms would take time.
“Being a Stanford MBA, that’s why I chose education as a portfolio, saying that I can contribute back to society at scale,” Lokesh added.
1.1 LAKH STUDENTS MOVED FROM PRIVATE TO GOVT SCHOOLS
Lokesh said 1.10 lakh students had moved from private schools to government schools in Andhra Pradesh over the past two years.
He attributed the shift to measures taken by the state government, including teacher recruitment, training and improvements in government schools.
“Sixteen thousand teachers have been recruited, trained. Now they have been deployed,” he said, adding that the government had also sought to restore the dignity of teachers.
Lokesh claimed that 12 lakh students had moved from government schools to private schools during the previous YSR Congress Party government’s tenure.
He said the government now wanted to move from improved performance to excellence in the school education system.
LOKESH BACKS OVERHAUL OF EXAMINATION SYSTEM
Lokesh also said the education system and examination processes needed reforms.
“The education system has to be realigned with the requirements of Bharat of tomorrow, not of yesterday,” he said.
He cited Andhra Pradesh’s computer-based teacher recruitment examination as an example of an examination system designed to improve transparency.
Asked about allegations of irregularities in the teacher recruitment process, Lokesh said more than 300 cases had been filed in connection with the process but claimed that none of the allegations had been proved.
He also said he was open to an independent probe if a court directed one.
Lokesh said examinations in particular required close monitoring because mistakes could affect students’ futures.
‘JOBS, JOBS, JOBS’ IS YOUTH’S BIGGEST CONCERN
Lokesh said his interactions with young people across Andhra Pradesh had made one concern particularly clear.
“Jobs, jobs, and jobs. The single point that today the youth of India is asking is create more and more jobs,” he said.
He said the state government was working towards its target of creating 20 lakh jobs through curriculum changes, closer links between Industrial Training Institutes and industrial ecosystems, and attracting investments.
Lokesh claimed Andhra Pradesh had attracted 25 per cent of investments coming into India over the past year. He said the state was focusing on grounding projects rather than merely signing memorandums of understanding.
AI AND QUANTUM COMPUTING IN EDUCATION
Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh was also working to prepare students for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
The state is introducing micro-courses, modernising computer laboratories and exposing students to technologies ranging from AI to quantum computing, he said.
“Education system cannot be reformed overnight. It requires a decade, at least a decade of investment,” Lokesh said.
He also said interactions with students had helped the government identify demand for new courses. He cited an interaction at a university in Narsaraopet, following which the state worked with IBM to bring capsule courses in quantum computing to students.
Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh was also planning to position Amaravati as a quantum computing hub, including through a 150-qubit quantum computer from IBM.
Asked directly whether he wanted to become chief minister of Andhra Pradesh one day, Lokesh said that was not his priority.
“My priority is to change the education system as of yesterday,” he said.
Reflecting on his first two years in the current government, he said the biggest lesson he had learnt was the importance of listening.
“We should have enormous patience to listen, listen to your electorate, listen to youngsters, listen to the middle age, take feedback,” he said.
He added that no system was perfect and that there were always areas where it could be improved.
Lokesh’s remarks centred on a long-term approach to education reform, with a focus on strengthening government schools, making examinations more transparent, aligning curricula with emerging technologies and improving students’ employability. He said such changes would require sustained investment and patience, while emphasising that listening to students, teachers and the wider electorate would remain central to shaping the system.
– Ends