According to Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao, Distribution of the ‘Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyarthi Mitra’ kits for the new academic year would be delayed by nearly a month due to international war and an increase in raw material costs.
For lakhs of families across Andhra Pradesh, the reopening of schools is not simply an academic occasion — it is a financial challenge. For poor and lower middle-class households, purchasing uniforms, shoes, books, bags and notebooks for children often means cutting essential expenses or borrowing money. Educational welfare is not a luxury — it is a necessity.
The government cites the Iran war as a justification in delay. But during YS Jagan’s tenure, even through COVID, not a single education programme was paused — kits reached children, payments reached mothers, meals were served. No crisis stopped that commitment. The question is not whether the state can afford it. The question is whether this government has the will.
The repeated delays raise a fundamental question: if the state once supported lakhs of students, why is continuity now uncertain? Has the hardship of poor families disappeared? Have educational expenses reduced? The answer is self- evident — what has changed is not the needs of the people, but the priorities of the government.
From Reform to Backlog: The Decline of Educational Welfare Delivery
For lakhs of families, the start of the academic year brings not excitement, but financial anxiety — and the difference between a government that responded decisively and one that now appears hesitant is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.
“Governments are judged not by speeches, but by opportunities protected for future generations.”
It was this reality that the previous YSRCP government under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy recognised and addressed through one of the most extensive educational welfare frameworks in Andhra Pradesh’s history. Through the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka programme, educational kits — uniforms, shoes, socks, belts, bags, textbooks and notebooks — were distributed to more than 43 lakh students in government and aided schools. Expenditure exceeded ₹650 – 900 crore annually.
“Mothers no longer worried about arranging money for uniforms before the academic year.”
The significance of these reforms went far beyond distributing school material. The YSRCP government developed an integrated educational support ecosystem connecting infrastructure, nutrition, accessibility and direct financial assistance to families. Under Nadu-Nedu, planned phase 1, 15,700 government schools underwent modernisation — upgraded classrooms, improved sanitation, digital learning infrastructure, drinking water, fans and furniture. Programmes such as Amma Vodi, Gorumudda, Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena collectively reduced dropout risks across economically vulnerable households. In July 2021 alone, ₹694 crore under Vidya Deevena was released for more than 10.97 lakh students in higher education.
