Adapt to global changes, upskill continuously, Naidu tells students

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday inaugurated a state-of-the-art Teachers’ Training Centre at the Agastya Vidyachal Academy campus in Gudipalli mandal of Kuppam Assembly constituency, reinforcing the government’s focus on strengthening school education through scientific and experiential learning methods.

The training facility has been developed at a cost of ₹3 crore over an area of 11,000 square feet. Representatives of Agastya Academy gave a detailed video presentation on the institution’s programmes and its efforts to impart scientific and technological learning to students.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Naidu recalled that nearly 25 years ago the chairman of Agastya Academy had proposed setting up a strong innovation centre, a vision he had readily supported. He said the academy had since been run efficiently and had earned national recognition as one of India’s leading centres for experiential learning.

Stressing the need to adapt to rapid global changes, the Chief Minister urged students to constantly upgrade their thinking and skills. He said that by embracing emerging technologies, Telugu professionals had established a strong global presence in the information technology sector. While IT had been promoted in earlier decades, the present focus, he said, must be on artificial intelligence, innovation and advanced technologies.

Describing Kuppam as a “laboratory for innovation”, Mr. Naidu said the constituency was being developed through the introduction of a wide range of advanced technologies. He noted that water security had been strengthened by bringing water to Kuppam through the Handri–Neeva project. He urged Agastya Academy representatives to think innovatively on water conservation and proposed a pilot project in Kuppam focusing on conservation and optimal utilisation of water, with the academy’s involvement. He also called upon students to understand development initiatives and make use of the opportunities being created by the government.

Chittoor District Collector Sumit Kumar said the Agastya Foundation had emerged as a major driver of experiential learning and skill development in the region. He said the Agastya Creativity Campus reaches around 20,000 government school students every year and trains 3,000 to 4,000 teachers from Andhra Pradesh and 12 other States. The campus houses 15 hands-on learning centres, including science and mathematics facilities, and also serves as a biodiversity hub with hundreds of plant, butterfly and bird species. He said the newly inaugurated Agastya Vidyachal Academy would further strengthen teacher training, leadership development and educational innovation across the wider region.