Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday directed officials to launch large-scale awareness programmes to prevent mental stress among students and strengthen institutional support systems for mental health.

During a review meeting with senior officials of the School Education, Higher Education and Skill Development departments at his residence in Undavalli, Mr. Lokesh said a special programme focusing on mental health awareness, guidance and institutional support should be implemented in mission mode.

Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao informed the Minister that the CARE AP tool had been developed to address students’ mental health concerns and that its pilot programme had been completed.

Referring to the Heartfulness Yoga programme, Mr. Lokesh directed officials to provide yoga training to around 4.47 lakh students in 935 government schools in the first phase.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said 2,000 interested teachers would be trained by the Kanha Shanti Vanam organisation in Hyderabad. The teachers would, in turn, conduct yoga classes in hybrid mode this year, while fully physical training sessions would be introduced from next year.

The Minister also reviewed academic performance and directed officials to focus on improving results, setting a target of 90% results in both the Class 10 and Intermediate examinations. He asked officials to work with dedication to achieve and exceed their Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets.

Mr. Lokesh proposed implementing Facial Recognition Systems (FRS) in universities and colleges to improve attendance among students and faculty. He also appreciated teachers and officials for effectively implementing the Mission March programme across the State.

He said subject teachers lagging behind in syllabus completion should undergo mandatory capacity-building programmes with mentor teachers. He also stressed the importance of achieving 100% literacy under the Akshara Andhra programme by the end of next year, in line with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision.

Industry-linked skill development

Reviewing the Skill Development Department, Mr. Lokesh directed officials to develop 10 industry-linked ITI clusters across the State in the first phase under the PM SETU scheme, with the participation of industrial companies.

He asked officials to consult companies in sectors such as steel, renewable energy, aquaculture and pharmaceuticals and prepare a 90-day action plan for developing the clusters.

A.P. State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) Managing Director Ganesh Kumar said 5.43 lakh people had received skill training across the State so far, while 1.72 lakh people had secured employment through job fairs conducted over the past two years.

Mr. Lokesh directed officials to involve MLAs and other public representatives in organising job fairs to expand employment opportunities.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Human Resources Department Principal Secretary J. Shyamala Rao, Higher Education Director Narayana Bharat Gupta, Intermediate Education Director Ranjit Basha, School Education Director Tameem Ansaria and others.