Minister Narayana announces free international school for underprivileged students in Nellore

Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Municipal Administration, Ponguru Narayana, inaugurated the foundation for a new international school aimed at providing high-quality education free of cost to underprivileged students. The school, named Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International School, will be built on five acres of land owned by the Wakf Board in Parameshwar Nagar, Nellore Rural constituency, at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore.

Minister Narayana, accompanied by MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, and Wakf Board Chairman Abdul Aziz, performed the ground-breaking ceremony on Sunday.

Speaking at the event, Narayana shared his personal journey, recalling how he rose from poverty and recognized the transformative power of education. “I know the value of education because it helped me reach where I am today. This is why I am committed to offering quality education to underprivileged children in Nellore,” he said. The minister also mentioned that during the last election campaign, he visited 84,000 homes and was inspired to improve government schools, which led to modernization of the VRC School. He pledged to upgrade 14 more schools in the city to corporate-level standards, with support from his daughter Sharani and other donors.

The international school project will be funded partly through CSR contributions, with Anakapalli MP CM Ramesh allocating ₹20 crore from his CSR fund. The design has been prepared by the NCC Group, and the school is expected to open for 1,000 students from grades 1 to 12 in the coming academic year.

Minister Narayana also highlighted a broader ₹200 crore initiative to develop schools in Nellore city, supported by organizations including Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, Beda Mastan Rao, Sudhakar Reddy, Dr. Bhaskar, Reddy Labs, and TVS.

The school, named in honor of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, has been welcomed by minority leaders and local TDP workers, who held a large rally to mark the occasion. Other dignitaries present at the ceremony included Nuda Chairman Kotamreddy Srinivasulureddy, Haj Committee Chairman Hasan Basha, Mayor Roop Kumar Yadav, Municipal Commissioner Nandan, and former MLC Sharif.