58 per cent of AP schools have below 3-star rating

Amaravati: More than half of Andhra Pradesh’s schools are performing below the three-star benchmark, prompting the government to order targeted interventions ahead of SSC 2027 examinations.

State’s school education review has flagged widespread gaps in attendance, academic performance and school infrastructure, prompting the government to put lagging schools and weak-performing students under intensive monitoring.

Principal Secretary of School Education J Syamala Rao said average student attendance was only 85.45 per cent as of September 5, against the target of at least 95 per cent. Kurnool recorded the lowest attendance at 78.88 per cent, while Srikakulam topped at 89.78 per cent. Teacher attendance, by contrast, stood at 99.07 per cent. Collectors were directed to use LEAP dashboard to continuously track attendance and intervene in low-attendance schools.

The government has identified 3.28 lakh 9th class students scoring below 60 per cent as ‘Rising Stars’ and directed Collectors to assign 72,123 mentors to address their learning gaps by November. Revision work will continue from December to March under the Mission March SSC 2027 plan, with a 100 per cent pass target and instructions to ensure no student drops out.

School quality remains another concern. Of 43,626 schools, 25,418 have ratings below three stars. Only 41.74 per cent of schools statewide have three stars or above, with Kurnool at just 10.19 per cent against Konaseema’s 73.04 per cent. Collectors were told to prepare special improvement plans for poorly rated schools.

Safety has also emerged as an immediate issue. Inspections found 6,242 dilapidated classrooms in 3,733 schools. Orders have been issued to demolish them by September 30 and make alternative arrangements. Financial and infrastructure execution remains uneven. Of Rs 726.79 crore released under Samagra Shiksha for 2026-27, Rs 567.19 crore has been spent, while only Rs 11.13 crore of the Rs 83.87 crore PM SHRI allocation has been utilised. Under ‘Mana Badi Mana Bhavishyathu’, Rs 571.11 crore is earmarked for 5,671 model primary schools, with tenders due by September 15. Another Rs 192 crore available with SMCs for works in 14,468 schools must be utilised by December 31. The LEAP Parent App has achieved only 26.47 per cent adoption, prompting orders for 100 per cent usage. Mid-day meal satisfaction stands at 71.8-77.8 per cent.

In higher education and skilling, junior-college enrolment rose by 10,587 to 1.49 lakh, though six districts recorded declines. Under Akshara Andhra, 24.95 lakh of the 25 lakh annual literacy target have registered, with 2.5 lakh volunteer teachers to begin classes.

The State also plans to train 50 lakh people in AI within a year. Of 83 government ITIs, only 15 have industry partnerships; the remaining 68 are to be linked with industry. Under PM Vishwakarma, AP has trained 1.98 lakh people, while DDU-GKY 2.0 is training 62,115 youth, with a 70 per cent placement target.

Officials also reported 1.71 lakh youth placed through employment-generation initiatives, while the Naipunyam portal has 2.50 lakh registrations and 2.98 lakh direct job opportunities. Collectors were asked to replicate the candidate-mobilisation approach used successfully in Vizianagaram and Prakasam to fill industrial vacancies with local youth.

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