From schools to medical colleges, Jagan defends five-year achievements

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed a meeting of the party’s youth wing at the YSR Congress Party office in Tadepalli, highlighting the initiatives his government undertook for students in government schools. He emphasized that true leadership is about supporting children, even though they cannot vote.

Jagan outlined the education reforms implemented between 2019 and 2024, including introducing English-medium instruction in government schools, providing training in English language skills from Class 3 to help students study abroad, distributing Oxford dictionaries, and giving tablets to students from Class 8 onwards. He also mentioned welfare programs like Nadu-Nedu, Amma Vodi, and Jagananna Gorimuddha, aimed at ensuring children from poor families continue their education.

He strongly criticized the current government’s move to privatize government medical colleges, saying it would harm both education and healthcare in the state. During YSR Congress rule, 17 new medical colleges were established in just five years, compared to only 12 in the previous 96 years. Out of these, seven are fully operational and three have already started classes, adding 2,550 new MBBS seats.

Jagan announced plans for a campaign against the privatization of government medical colleges, including signature collections and rallies on November 12. He said protests regarding fee reimbursement will be held in December, and village-level committees will be formed to oppose policies harmful to the public.

YSR Congress leaders accused the current government of arrogance and anti-people policies, claiming that it is undoing the reforms in education and healthcare implemented during Jagan’s tenure. They highlighted that his administration modernized 16,000 schools and established 17 government medical colleges to provide quality education and healthcare to the poor. They criticized the current government for halting English-medium education and weakening government schools, making it harder for disadvantaged students to access quality education and medical care.

Former minister P. Venkatramayya also stated that Jagan plans to launch another Praja Sankalpa Yatra in 2027.