Dr. Viswanath Pandey
The state of education in India, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, reflects the profound interplay of systemic inefficiencies, policy failures, and political narratives that often divert attention from genuine reforms. The deteriorating literacy rates, crumbling infrastructure, and declining enrolment rates expose a harsh reality—education has become more of a rhetorical tool for political gains rather than a domain of substantive improvement. The staggering decline in foundational literacy levels and student enrolment, coupled with policy missteps, raises serious concerns about the priorities of both state and central governments in fostering an environment conducive to learning and knowledge-building.
Andhra Pradesh’s education system presents a striking example of this crisis. The state caters to 68.15 lakh students across 58,535 schools, yet the inefficient distribution of resources has led to a fragmented structure. The presence of 12,512 single-teacher schools and 14,052 government schools with fewer than 20 students demonstrates the lack of strategic planning in allocating teachers and infrastructure. Enrolment in government schools has witnessed a drastic fall of 10.49 lakh between 2022 and 2024, with only 33.37 lakh students remaining. This decline is a clear indication of waning public trust in government schools, a consequence of the severe deterioration in educational quality. The foundational literacy crisis is evident in the fact that only 37.5% of Grade 5 students could read Grade 2 Telugu in 2024, a shocking drop from 57.1% in 2018, as per ASER reports. The state’s fall from first in Class III Language rankings in 2017 to 27th in 2021 in the National Achievement Survey further cements the argument that the education system has been neglected and left in shambles.
A critical aspect of this crisis is infrastructure. The Nadu-Nedu initiative, which was launched to revamp school infrastructure, remains incomplete, with projects worth Rs 7,876 crore left unfinished. Schools continue to struggle with inadequate facilities, and only 51.8% of them have proper compound walls, leaving students vulnerable to safety concerns. The government’s ambitious reforms, such as the shift to CBSE and the introduction of the TOEFL program, have failed to make an impact due to poor execution and lack of foresight. GO 117 has only exacerbated the issue, triggering an exodus of students from government schools. In intermediate education, the pass rate remains at a dismal 58% in 2024, while the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 65.4% starkly lags behind states like Kerala, which boasts a GER of 88.1%. Higher education, too, suffers from neglect, with a GER of just 36.5%, faculty shortages, and declining NIRF rankings, painting a bleak picture of the state’s commitment to academic excellence.
The central government’s initiatives, particularly the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aspire to address these issues by focusing on foundational literacy, inclusivity, and vocational training. However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. The NEP’s goal of allocating 6% of GDP to education remains a distant dream, with actual spending stagnating at around 4.64% as of 2020-21. The policy’s emphasis on multilingual education and global academic collaborations appears promising on paper but fails to translate into meaningful change in states like Andhra Pradesh. Implementation remains patchy, and political narratives continue to overshadow any substantive action that could improve education quality at the grassroots level.
Politics has deeply entrenched itself in the education sector, further derailing meaningful reforms. Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh’s criticism of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for prioritizing personal branding over actual educational reforms echoes a broader issue prevalent across Indian politics. The central government’s penchant for using public welfare schemes for political branding is also evident in the distribution of ration bags featuring the Prime Minister’s image under the PMGKAY scheme, as well as similar branding at petrol pumps in Uttar Pradesh. This trend of leveraging state-funded programs for electoral gains diverts focus from pressing issues such as education, healthcare, and employment, rendering governance more about optics than outcomes.
The distortion of the educational ecosystem is also apparent in the neglect of higher education and research. The discontinuation of increments for PhD scholars has dampened academic motivation, raising concerns about the government’s commitment to fostering a knowledge-driven economy. The stagnation in research funding further cripples India’s intellectual and scientific advancement, pushing scholars towards disillusionment and brain drain. The recent protests in Bihar against the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) illustrate the broader systemic inefficiencies plaguing the education system. The government’s response—marked by police crackdowns rather than structural reforms—demonstrates an alarming disregard for student grievances and the need for overhauling the education sector.
The governance model under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reflects a prioritization of image-building over concrete educational reforms. Branding initiatives create an illusion of proactive governance, but the grim realities of declining literacy rates, poor infrastructure, and inadequate policy execution expose the hollowness of such optics. The tendency to engage in grand narratives rather than addressing ground-level challenges has led to an education system that is increasingly exclusionary and dysfunctional. The question that arises is whether a government that prioritizes political self-promotion over genuine educational progress can truly lead India towards a future rooted in knowledge, innovation, and intellectual growth.
In the larger scheme of things, the crisis in Andhra Pradesh’s education sector is emblematic of the challenges faced by the entire country. Policies like the NEP 2020 offer a theoretical roadmap for reform, but their potential impact is diluted by a lack of robust implementation mechanisms and political distractions. As Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty rightly pointed out, teachers are the backbone of the education system, and their training and continuous evaluation are crucial for ensuring quality education. She stressed that mere infrastructural improvements are insufficient if the teachers themselves are not equipped with the latest teaching techniques and methodologies. The lack of examination-linked training sessions for educators exacerbates the issue, leading to a stagnation in teaching quality.
Ultimately, the solution lies in shifting the focus back to foundational literacy, infrastructure development, and equitable access to education. Policymakers must move beyond mere rhetoric and invest in long-term, substantive reforms that prioritize learning outcomes over political mileage. Without such a shift, India risks squandering its demographic dividend, leaving millions of students trapped in a cycle of poor education, limited opportunities, and unfulfilled potential. The government must recognize that education is not a tool for political propaganda but a fundamental right that shapes the future of the nation. Only when governance is driven by a commitment to educational excellence rather than electoral gains can India hope to build a society that thrives on knowledge, innovation, and progress.
(Writer, a Ph.D. in Sociology, is a well-recognised author and columnist. For past over three decades, he has served in various administrative and academic capacities at Banaras Hindu University).
