Tue Feb 04 20:47:51 IST 2025: ## CPI(M) Slams Andhra Pradesh Governments Over Education Policies

**NELLORE, Andhra Pradesh – February 4, 2025** – The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI[M]) has strongly criticized both the current and previous Andhra Pradesh state governments for their handling of education, alleging a detrimental impact on students, particularly those from poor and lower-middle-class backgrounds.

Addressing the media following the party’s three-day State Maha Sabha in Nellore, CPI(M) state secretary V. Srinivasa Rao accused Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of failing the state’s populace. He specifically targeted the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), stating it has undermined the federal spirit of democracy and disproportionately harmed Andhra Pradesh students compared to other states.

Rao highlighted the lack of opposition to the NEP from both the YSRCP and the current alliance government. He cited the cancellation of approximately 30,000 teacher posts due to G.O. 117, the removal of Telugu-medium instruction, and the subsequent drop-out rates in government schools as evidence of the government’s failings. He stated that over 20% of 10th-grade students dropped out of government schools, with 50% transferring to private institutions.

Further criticizing the government’s education policies, Rao pointed to the impending closure of many primary schools, leaving only 10,000-12,000 of the original 34,000 potentially operational. The cancellation of the ‘Talli ki Vandanam’ scheme, which assisted poor children in private schools, further exacerbated the situation, he added. Similar concerns were raised regarding higher education, with a limited number of government colleges forcing students into often unaffordable private institutions, compounded by delays in fee reimbursements. The CPI(M) leader attributed these issues to insufficient budgetary allocation.

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