The Month That Was : MOOCs to Drive Education in AP, Recruitment Nod for Vacancies in Universities and IIITs

Amaravati: The month saw Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy taking the State forward on the development front while retaining the momentum in educational reforms and implementing the welfare calendar. 

Besides inaugurating five educational research hubs in Andhra University, the Chief Minister shared honours with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in laying foundation stone for the Central Tribal University to be built with a cost of Rs. 834 crore in an extent of 561.88 acres in Vizianagaram district. 

Implementing the Chief Minister’s vision on higher education, the Government signed MoU with edX, a leading e-learning platform developed by Harvard and Massachusetts Universities. The global platform, conducting Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), will enable higher education students to learn the latest courses free of cost and get joint certificates from edX and Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge Universities.  

Determined to improve the IQ and knowledge base of the students, the Chief Minister instructed the Education Department officials to work towards introducing International Baccalaureate (IB) syllabus in government schools and Intermediate education in tune with changing educational standards worldwide.

Giving equal priority to improving learning standards and English pronunciation skills of children, the Chief Minister directed officials to focus on exploring alternative teaching methods in foundation schools. 

The Chief Minister also gave green signal to fill all existing vacancies in Universities and IIITs on a regular basis.

Translating the MoUs signed during the GIS-23 at Visakhapatnam into reality and enhancing the presence of the State on green energy map, the Chief Minister laid foundation stones for three renewable energy projects for producing 5,314 MW of power in Nandyal district. These units, coming up with an investment of Rs. 25,850 crores, will provide employment to nearly 8,000 persons. 

He also laid foundation stone for the Rs. 600 crore Inorbit Mall and other developmental works in Visakhapatnam and formally inaugurated the four-star hotel Hyatt Place in Vijayawada. 

The Chief Minister directed the officials to undertake a study and make recommendations for improving the functioning of District Cooperative Marketing Societies (DCMS) and take steps to encourage MSMEs by injecting latest technology into their functioning. 

The Chief Minister directed the health department to launch a massive public awareness campaign on YSR Aarogyasri from September 15 to ensure that everyone in the State understands its functioning thoroughly. 

Continuing with the welfare calendar, the Chief Minister released Rs. 141.60 crore towards financial assistance under YSR Kalyanamasthu and Shaadi Tohfa benefiting 18,883 girls, Rs.1,353.76 crore towards interest reimbursement under YSR Sunna Vaddi (zero interest) Scheme benefiting 1,05,13,365 women members of 9.48 lakh self-help groups, Rs. 216.34 crore benefiting 2,62,169 individuals who missed the welfare schemes and Rs. 680.44 crore towards Jagananna Vidya Deevena for the second quarter of 2023 benefiting 9,32,235 students.

He also visited flood affected districts and interacted with victims to personally enquire about the rescue and rehabilitation measures taken by the official machinery.

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Among the most prominent visitors who called on the Chief Minister in August included Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, NITI Aayog Additional Secretary V. Radha, NCC Director General Air Commodore VM Reddy, TTD Chairman B. Karunakara Reddy, AP NGOs’ Association President B. Srinivasa Rao and  General Secretary KV Siva Reddy, Sri Swami Narayan Gurukul Trust member Sukh Vallabh Swamy, MLCs K. Padmasri and Dr K. Ravi Babu, archer V. Jyothi Surekha, Aquaculture Development Authority Vice Chairman V. Raghuram, Aqua Exchange Co-founder B. Kiran Kumar and CEO P. Krishna and APNRTS Gulf coordinators.