Andhra Pradesh is gaining international recognition for the reforms in its education sector. Representatives of the World Bank praised the innovative implementation of the SALT (Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation) program after the new coalition government came to power. They said the program is becoming a role model not only for India but also for the entire South Asia region.
On Wednesday, a World Bank team met Andhra Pradesh IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh and appreciated his leadership in driving these reforms. The team highlighted the progress of PAL (Performance Assessment of Learning) labs, Guaranteed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), and school leadership training programs. The meeting was also attended by School Education Secretary Kona Shashidhar IAS, Samagra Shiksha SPD B. Srinivas Rao IAS, and World Bank representatives Christelle Kaume, Soumya Bajaj, Yin Win Khine, Priyanka Sahoo, and others.
Nara Lokesh explained that the SALT program is strongly supporting the LEAP initiative and laying a strong foundation for Guaranteed FLN. He assured that training programs and assessments will continue to improve learning outcomes in the future. He also confirmed that Andhra Pradesh will work closely with the World Bank on more upcoming programs.
The minister said that PAL Labs are helping identify learning gaps in students and providing targeted support. With this, teachers are able to plan their teaching more effectively and improve student performance.
Lokesh also stressed that Andhra Pradesh is fully committed to achieving Guaranteed FLN targets. He said once the state achieves this, it will stand as a guiding model for the world in the field of education. He appreciated the efforts of education officials, Samagra Shiksha, and the support of the World Bank in this mission.