Lokesh Starts AP’s Midday Meals for Inter Students
The minister says free study material will be provided to inter students for EAMCET and NEET exams
By : MD Ilyas
Update: 2025-01-04 17:47 GMT
VIJAYAWADA: Education minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday formally inaugurated the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme for intermediate students studying in government colleges.
Students studying in 475 government intermediate colleges will benefit from the scheme, which will cost the AP exchequer ₹86 crore per annum.
Launching the scheme at the Government Junior College in Payakapuram of Vijayawada in the presence of health minister Satya Kumar Yadav, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath and others, Lokesh announced that from the next year, study material will be provided to intermediate students preparing for EAMCET and NEET examinations.
He underlined that the NDA alliance government in AP wants to keep the education system away from politics. It has thus ordered removal of photos of political leaders from educational institutions.
The minister said the government is doing a pilot project in collaboration with IIT Madras, wherein special training is provided to students in mathematics, physics, chemistry and English in 29 government intermediate colleges. “If students study well and get a job, the situation of their family will change,” he remarked
Lokesh said many parents do not have trust in government intermediate colleges and admit their children in private institutions. “We are working to instil trust among parents in government schools and colleges. I will work tirelessly to make government colleges and schools comparable to private educational institutions,” he asserted.
The minister disclosed that when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked him about the portfolio, he chose Education. “Many friends and colleagues advised me to take departments like industries and IT. However, I took education as a challenge and am working towards making education in AP the best in the country,” he underlined.
He underlined that the NDA alliance government in AP wants to keep the education system away from politics. It has thus ordered removal of photos of political leaders from educational institutions.
The minister said the government is doing a pilot project in collaboration with IIT Madras, wherein special training is provided to students in mathematics, physics, chemistry and English in 29 government intermediate colleges. “If students study well and get a job, the situation of their family will change,” he remarked
Lokesh said many parents do not have trust in government intermediate colleges and admit their children in private institutions. “We are working to instil trust among parents in government schools and colleges. I will work tirelessly to make government colleges and schools comparable to private educational institutions,” he asserted.
The minister disclosed that when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked him about the portfolio, he chose Education. “Many friends and colleagues advised me to take departments like industries and IT. However, I took education as a challenge and am working towards making education in AP the best in the country,” he underlined.
Lokesh asked students not to lose heart in case they fail. No one should commit suicide in case they fail. They can always write the supplementary exam. “I was also an average student until the 10th. But I became better with coaching from P. Narayana, now minister. I studied from morning to night to become the best,” he added.