AP to provide tabs to 4.7 lakh students of Class VIII with Rs 500 crore

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has taken a new step towards revolutionising the education system by signing an MoU with a private online education player.

Chief Minister Jagan Reddy said the government would provide tabs for the 4.7 lakh students of Class VIII, involving a cost of Rs 500 crore to enhance the digital knowledge and learning experience of government school children.

Visual presentation and content enhancement would come through, starting from Class IV to Class X in government schools, and this would be a game-changer, he said.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the chief minister by the Commissioner of School Education Suresh Kumar on behalf of the state, while Susmit Sarkar vice-president (Public Policy) signed up for the online education company.

The chief minister said he was elated to partner with this private education player. This would change the lives of poor students and help them to learn better. Quality content will make it easier for children to learn their lessons in the visual medium, and also help them in achieving better results, he said.

The CM said the initiative is meant for the students studying between Class 4 and Class 10 in all government schools across the state.

Tabs will be provided to guide the students in Class 8, who would be appearing for the Class X exams in CBSE in 2025.

He emphasized on making digital learning methods accessible to the students and imparting training for the teachers. “The government will be distributing the tabs to 4.7 lakh students in September at a cost of Rs 500 crore.”

The CM said the content was not available for private schools without paying Rs 20,000-24,000 per year towards subscription, whereas the government has made it available for free to the students in government schools. He thanked  CEO Ravindran for coming forward to shape a better education system.

During a subsequent review with the authorities, the CM spoke on the agreement and asked the officials to implement the programme effectively. He asked them to focus on providing the students the content in textbook format in both English and Telugu mediums. Also, install a TV in each classroom under the Nadu-Nedu programme to make visual content accessible to the students, he said.

Jagan stressed on imparting quality education especially to the students in classes VIII, IX and X for achieving good results. Tab will be given to Class VIII students every year, which can be used for their subsequent classes too.

CEO Ravindran hailed the CM for his speed and commitment in transforming the education system to provide quality education to students.