Kakinada: Education and IT minister Nara Lokesh said on Sunday that Andhra Pradesh could develop the country’s leading school education model by combining academic learning with moral values, patriotism and social responsibility.
Speaking at the Bharatiyam programme organised by government ethics adviser Chaganti Koteswara Rao at Akondi Lakshmi Gousala in Thimmapuram, Lokesh said the government had taken several steps over the past two years to restore the former glory of government schools. He said technology should be combined with Indian values and patriotism to help students become global achievers.
Lokesh said 1.10 lakh students had shifted from private schools to government schools this year, while intermediate admissions had increased by 10,000. He said the government had, for the first time, published advertisements featuring government school students who secured top ranks.
He attributed the improvement to the cooperation of students, parents and teachers and said integrating moral values into education could make the AP model a leading one in the country.
He urged students to follow the example of freedom fighters, remain firm in the face of setbacks and accept success and failure with equanimity. He said moral values should be imparted alongside academics and sports, particularly during early childhood.
Lokesh said the education system should be kept free from politics and said the government had decided to ban political activity in schools. Political party colours were prohibited on uniforms, bags, belts and shoes, he said, adding that photographs of the Chief Minister were also not being used in schools.
He said patriotism, unity in diversity and respect for India’s heritage should be passed on to future generations. Referring to Indian scholars and thinkers of the past, he said the country’s tradition of moral values and humanity had contributed to the respect Indians enjoyed across the world.
Chaganti Koteswara Rao said the freedom struggle was an important part of India’s heritage. Students participating in the Bharatiyam programme portrayed freedom fighters and national leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri and B.R. Ambedkar.
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