Andhra Pradesh chief minister orders government schools to secure CBSE affiliation by 2024

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to ensure that all government schools in the state be affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) by 2024. The order was passed during a review meeting held by the education department on 11 October. The state government also monitored the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the education system, with schools having reopened on 16 August. According to news reports, Reddy was told that the COVID-19 pandemic had no significant impact on the education sector due the preventive measures undertaken by the government. All teachers have been vaccinated,  according to NDTV. In case of students, the attendance has risen from 73 percent in August to 82 percent in September and 91 percent presently. The state government also sought to link the Amma Vodi scheme to attendance in schools from the next academic year. According to the News Minute, the Amma Vodi scheme was launched in January last year. It provides Rs 15,000 as financial assistance to prevent dropouts in schools. The main beneficiaries of the programme are mothers and guardians of school-going children from low-income families. Reddy said that from 2022, children must have a minimum of 75 percent attendance to be eligible for the scheme. The attendance criterion had been exempted this year due to the pandemic. He also called for an action plan to make Rs 1 lakh available to every school to facilitate maintenance works. The officials proposed to give rankings on the performance of schools through social audits. The Chief Minister directed them to speak to teachers in that regard.