Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s minister for information technology, electronics and communications, real-time governance and human resources developmentFrom India’s largest central library at Amaravati to and new autism centres across the state annual selection committee drives for teacher recruitment, the Andhra Pradesh government has several plans in store for education.Unveiling the plans, Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh’s minister for information technology, electronics and communications, real-time governance and human resources development, said that the proposed library would make Amaravati – the state’s upcoming capital — “a world-class hub of knowledge”.These announcements come months after the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 by the NGO Pratham Foundation showed significant learning gaps among students of Andhra Pradesh’s rural schools.“Amaravati will soon house the country’s largest and most modern Central Library, spread across two lakh sq. ft., and designed as a “world-class hub of knowledge. We will build the best central library in the country and complete it within a year. This will set new standards for access to knowledge,” Lokesh said during a state-level review meeting with senior education department officials.Among the state’s plans is to set up 125 new autism centres by the end of this year. The government also has plans to set up a regional library on 50,000 sq. ft of land at Jagadamba Centre in Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, Rs 87 lakh has been sanctioned for a library at Rajahmundry, and another Rs 213 crore will be drawn from the National Mission for Libraries for others across the state.“This year alone, 350 students who prepared for exams using books from government libraries secured jobs as police constables,” Nara Lokesh said. “A large-scale campaign on the benefits of libraries will be launched, ensuring all necessary competitive exam books are available in government libraries.”The government will also conduct annual district selection committee (DSC) drives for the recruiting teachers – one of the ruling Telugu Desam Party’s election promises.Story continues below this adDuring the discussions, Lokesh also called for urgent measures to improve Andhra Pradesh’s foundational literacy. In its report for 2024, ASER showed that only 37.5 percent of Grade 5 students were able to read Grade 2 Telugu in 2024, down from 57.1 percent in 2018.“According to the ASER Report, Andhra Pradesh stands 14th at the national level in the implementation of the FLN program. This needs to change, and structural measures must be taken to secure a better rank. Every child should be given Guaranteed FLN as a right. We aim to ensure that every child, even in remote areas, receives this guarantee, with the cooperation of teachers,” he said. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd