In a move aimed at reducing academic pressure on students, Andhra Pradesh government declared every Saturday as a ‘No Bag Day’ for school students. The decision was announced during a review meeting chaired by Minister for Education, Information Technology (IT), and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, on Tuesday.

As part of this initiative, students will engage in co-curricular activities instead of regular academic sessions. Minister Lokesh directed officials to design engaging activities to enhance students’ learning experience beyond textbooks, as per a report on IANS.

The meeting also addressed key educational reforms, including discussions on the controversial Government Order (GO) 117, introduced by the previous YSR Congress government. The Minister instructed officials to gather feedback from teachers and associations before finalising a decision on its withdrawal, ensuring a balanced solution acceptable to all stakeholders.

Additionally, the government is working on streamlining digital infrastructure for educators. Minister Lokesh emphasised the need to consolidate multiple teacher-related applications into a single app for better efficiency. He also urged officials to expedite the creation of APAAR IDs to accurately track student enrollment across schools.

The meeting further focused on upcoming legislation regarding teacher transfers and reforms in intermediate education. Senior officials, including Education Secretary Kona Sasidhar, Director of School Education V. Vijaya Rama Raju, and Director of Intermediate Education Kruthika Shukla, were present to discuss the roadmap for implementing these changes.

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