The narrow streets of Sampara were buzzing. The sun continued to scorch, making the roads hot. Yet, there is a pleasant peace inside the simple one-room house of Dulla Chinnari, who shares the first rank with three other girls in the recently declared SSC public exam results by scoring 596 marks out of 600.
When a neighbor walks by after greeting her, she says, twirling the ends of her long, neatly braided braids, “This feeling is tremendous.” “But I knew I would leave a mark because I studied for about 14 hours every day,” she says with a confidence built from months of quiet determination. “I also practiced lucida writing to increase speed,” says the student of Zilla Parishad High School, Sampara in Pedapudi mandal of Kakinada district.
jump with pride
Her father, Dulla Srinivas, who had just returned from farm work, listened quietly, smiling proudly, while Chinnari’s mother, Veera Veni, walked silently through the house, smiling. “One of my teachers sent me a WhatsApp image of a front-page newspaper advertisement in which our photos were prominently displayed. It was really a wonderful reward,” Chinnari said.
Top scorers Sirigineddi Rishita Lakshmi Niharika, Bavireddy Divya Teja Sri and Tanakanti Sai Sri are also enjoying their academic achievements after scoring 596 marks in the SSC exams.
BR Ambedkar Niharika, a student of ZP High School in Samanthakurru village of Konaseema district, comes from an ordinary background. His father, Venkata Dura Rao, who earns a living from painting work, expressed happiness at the recognition. “Samanthakuru is a sleeping village, but with people visiting our house and outsiders talking about our village, it has suddenly become alive,” he says, adding that several officials from the education department had visited his home to congratulate and felicitate his daughter.
Teja Sri, who studies at ZP Girls High School in Kollur in Bapatla district, says she initially believed she had scored top marks only at the mandal or district level. However, she was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had emerged as the state topper, a fact which was highlighted through a government advertisement featuring toppers.
Sai Shree, a student of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Andhra Pradesh Backward Class Welfare Residential Educational Institution Society Girls School in Nerwada village of Kallur mandal in Kurnool district, also shares this feat.
Both Niharika and Teja Sri say they aspire to crack the IIT entrance exams and later prepare for civil services, with the aim of “bringing about change at the grassroots level”.
Promote success stories
The government’s decision to publish a full front page advertisement featuring photographs of 13 toppers from government schools has been widely appreciated. Many believe that this move has given government school students the good recognition they deserve, while also sending a strong message that state-run schools are able to compete with private institutions that are known to charge high fees and aggressively promote their image.
The SSC results have revealed several encouraging trends that indicate positive changes in the school education scenario of the state. This year, students in government schools recorded significant improvement in Class 10 results, which officials attribute to strategic planning and implementation.
With improved performance across all categories of schools, the overall pass percentage increased from 81.1% last year to 85.25% this year.
Girls performed 5.22% better than boys and the pass percentage of boys was 82.68%, while their pass percentage was 87.90%. Government schools also showed remarkable progress, with the pass rate increasing from 72.8% to 78.39%. Among the schools that recorded zero pass percentage, 11 were private institutions, while only five were from the government sector.
100 day action plan
inspired by the ideals of great poet Under visionary writer and social reformer Gurajada Apparao, who believed that education should be a tool for progress, Sarkar designed the AP model of education to promote modern educational approach and holistic development of students. Principal Secretary (Education) Kona Sashidhar says, “A key component of this initiative was a structured 100-day action plan implemented from December 6, 2025, to March 15, 2026, focused on improving SSC results.”
During this period, 46 slip tests were conducted without putting unnecessary pressure on the students. Scores were recorded and analyzed through the LEAP mobile app using a daily dashboard. Based on performance, students were classified as “Shining Stars” and “Rising Stars”, allowing teachers to provide targeted academic support and subject-wise doubt clarifications.
To strengthen the preparation, the Education Department provided free model papers and question banks. Sashidhar says that bilingual content in Telugu and English, especially for non-language subjects, was delivered in mirror-image format to aid understanding among students with different learning abilities. Special 30-day residential programs were also organized for academically weak students. Additionally, Pre-Finals and Grand Tests were conducted to reduce exam stress and boost confidence.
The government complemented these educational efforts with welfare measures, including nutritious mid-day meals and free supply of uniforms, books, bags, shoes and other essential items under the ‘Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyarthi Mitra’ scheme, while financial assistance was offered to mothers under the ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ scheme.
Education Minister Nara Lokesh stressed the need to further strengthen the infrastructure, moral values and holistic education in government schools, saying better results are the collective achievement of teachers, officials and the government.
beyond academics
Additionally, promoting inclusivity has emerged as another commendable aspect of the reforms. The recent successful expedition to Everest Base Camp by 21 children with special needs from various government-run institutions highlighted the efforts to create equal opportunities and encourage students with disabilities to dream beyond traditional boundaries.
The team of eight girls and 13 boys studying from Class 9 to Intermediate left for Kathmandu on April 15 and completed the 16-day expedition. The group included mountaineers Sheikh Himanshu and Malvath Purna along with K from the Samagra Shiksha Sports Division. Shankaraiya was also included.
Sixteen-year-old SD Rehana, a Class 9 student of Government Girls High School in Yemmiganur in Kurnool district, had many apprehensions in her mind when she was selected for the Everest Base Camp trek. Rehana, a child who is unable to hear and speak, expresses her feelings through her mother Syed Muskaan.
Rehana says that when others shared their experiences with officials and the media after returning, she felt neglected because she could not express her happiness. “In the beginning, my legs were constantly aching and my body was stiff. But I didn’t tell my group leaders or mentors for fear of being sent back,” she says. Despite the challenges, she cherishes the experience and is happy to take several photos with her group. She says these are memories she will cherish for the rest of her life.
Gattam Biswas, a visually impaired Class 10 student of Ramavarappadu Zilla Parishad High School, Vijayawada, recalls his time spent at Namche Bazaar, the vibrant gateway to Mount Everest. “Located at an altitude of about 3,440 metres, the Sherpa town is very attractive,” he says.
His father said that Biswas was initially reluctant to join the expedition, unsure about being away from home for so long. “Now, she doesn’t like staying at home,” he says, laughing.
Children with special needs were brought from government schools in Andhra Pradesh on the way to Mount Everest Base Camp. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
supportive learning environment
The continuous efforts of the government along with the dedicated work of teachers and staff have started yielding concrete results. By diligently implementing strategies designed by experts, schools are creating more focused and supportive learning environments. In turn, students are responding with determination and hard work, achieving impressive results that reflect growing confidence in the public education system.
MLC B. East-West Godavari Teachers. Gopi Murthy believes that active involvement of parents has proven to be a significant benefit, with teachers giving full support by strictly following the academic calendar, “especially the 100-day work plan, which has benefited the students”.
“The government should now take advantage of these gains by focusing on increasing enrollment in government schools,” says Murthy.
However, he argues that plans like Thalliki VandanamWhere students are given benefits even in private schools, and admissions under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act are counterproductive to strengthening public education and the policy needs to be reconsidered.
He also expressed concern over GO 117 issued by the previous government, which allegedly led to migration of students to private institutions. “Education stakeholders want the school merger policy to be reconsidered,” he says, adding that primary schools should continue independently from classes 1 to 5.
Lack of infrastructure remains a concern, he says, pointing to schools facing shortage of classrooms. “There are schools where about 70-80% of the works under the Nadu-Nedu program have been completed, and completing the remaining works will significantly improve the infrastructure in government schools,” he said.
Call for common school system
While acknowledging the efforts made in the right direction, stakeholders in the education sector continue to demand the implementation of the Common School System proposed by the Kothari Commission, which they argue is the most effective way to achieve a uniform education model free from the inequalities created by the private education system.
A. Jagannath Rao, former joint registrar of Acharya Nagarjuna University, says, “India’s major failure in the field of education is the non-implementation of a common school system, which the Kothari Commission had considered essential for nation-building. The present fragmented system deepens social divisions rather than promoting unity.”
He argues that equitable, quality education requires a strong mass movement and a publicly funded common school system supported by a clear policy framework.
People like CA Prasad, who has spent more than four decades conducting workshops for parents, teachers and students and promoting logical thinking among children through science clubs and exhibitions, believe that positive changes are indeed taking place.
“While private schools have long depended on publicity, the government has rarely publicized their achievements. Highlighting students’ success through newspaper advertisements is a welcome move,” he says, adding that the fundamentals of school education still need to be strengthened.
