AP Signs 2 MoUs With Tony Blair Institute To Modernise Higher Education

 Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has signed two MoUs– for partnering with the Tony Blair Institute to modernise higher education; and with the Physics Wallah educational platform to set up an Innovation University.

During a ceremony at Undavalli on Friday, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh oversaw the signing of the agreements.

TBI's country director Vivek Agarwal and associate Munjaluri Raghini Rao attended the event.

Lokesh stated, “Under this collaboration, TBI will advise the HRD minister in driving transformative change in Andhra Pradesh’s higher education system. Specifically, TBI will work on identifying opportunities to boost employment outcomes for its youth by improving the tertiary education landscape especially in the government-run universities, poly techniques, colleges, and for diploma courses.”

TBI would work with the state government to benchmark global best practices and identify critical skill gaps in the current system. Based on this, TBI will help develop a comprehensive roadmap to build a future-ready education ecosystem.

“The Innovation University is expected to act as a hub for academic excellence and innovation, addressing crucial challenges in research, education and employment. It will adopt a hub-and-spoke model to offer contemporary, hybrid education to students from diverse backgrounds and regions,” the minister said.

The university plans to integrate online and in-person learning experiences facilitated by industry partners like Amazon Web Services.

TBI representatives explained, “With a team of over 800 professionals, including political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, and technology specialists, TBI operates in more than 40 countries across five continents. The institute manages over 100 projects addressing pressing global challenges.”

Regarding University of Innovation, Lokesh emphasized the commitment to cultivating the youth of AP into top-tier professionals in AI. “Our goal is to advance innovative technology while equipping the youth of AP to meet industry demands.”

He said the University of Innovation would focus on skill development aligned with market requirements.

Alakh Pandey, founder and CEO of Physics Wallah, said US-based GSV Ventures and other investors would invest up to Rs 1000 crore in this venture. The University of Innovation aims to blend academic learning with industry needs, he said.

PW co-founder Prateek Bhoob, Deborah Quazzo, managing partner at GSV Ventures and others spoke.