Andhra Pradesh to set up 16-member panel to review rules for 25% free admissions in private schools

The Andhra Pradesh government has issued orders to set up a 16-member state-level committee to amend guidelines for 25% free admissions in private unaided schools, ETV Bharat reported on Thursday.

The committee will review the existing guidelines for providing 25% free admissions to students from poor and weaker sections under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, 2009.

The government plans to amend the existing rules and ensure their strict implementation in line with directions issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), following the Supreme Court's verdict of January 13 this year.

Principal Secretary of School Education J. Shyamala Rao has issued the orders.

Who is on the committee?

Director of School Education Sameem Ansaria will be the Chairperson of the committee, while the Director of Samagra Shiksha State Project will be the Member Convener.

Directors of various departments of the Education Department, NTR District DEO, Bapatla MEO, legal advisors, an NGO representative and a Private Schools Association representative will be members of the committee. Parents of two students admitted under the Act will also be part of the panel.

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What will the committee do?

The committee will conduct a comprehensive study of the RTE Act, AP RTE rules, the Supreme Court verdict and NCPCR rules.

It will recommend new policies on transparent online admissions, disclosure of seat details and reimbursement of fees.

The committee will also identify practical and legal problems faced in implementing the law and recommend solutions. It has further been tasked with suggesting strong measures to ensure that children who receive free admissions in private schools do not face discrimination.

Andhra Pradesh literacy rate rises to 82.1%

Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday said the state's literacy rate had risen from 72.6% in 2024 to 82.1% in 2026, according to a report by PTI.

Lokesh said that when he took charge of the Education Department in 2024, Andhra Pradesh had one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. At 72.6%, the state's literacy rate was below Bihar's 74.3%, he said.

The state's literacy rate increased by up to 10 percentage points based on the recently released central government's adult education examination results, the agency said, quoting an official press release.

Lokesh has directed officials to work towards achieving 100% literacy by September 2027. Officials have prepared a phased plan to make another 25 lakh people literate by March 2027, followed by the remaining 27 lakh people by September 2027.

The programme is being implemented in coordination with 11 government departments. Lokesh also directed officials to involve MLAs and local public representatives and intensify awareness and mobilisation efforts to reach people who remain illiterate.

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More than 1.64 lakh children outside formal education

During a review of the School Education Department, Lokesh directed officials to track every school-age child and ensure their enrollment.

According to officials, more than 1.64 lakh school-age children are currently outside the formal education system. Around 33,000 of them have been enrolled in schools this year, while details of the remaining children have been shared with headmasters, according to the press release.

Teacher attendance currently stands at 98.97%, while student attendance is 85.4%. Lokesh directed officials to improve student attendance, among other measures.