Lokesh Vows To Fill Andhra University Vacancies Within A Year
VISAKHAPATNAM: Education minister Nara Lokesh has promised to implement significant reforms and increase investment in higher education.
Speaking at Andhra University’s centenary celebrations on Monday, Lokesh announced that all pending vacancies in the university will be filled within a year.
Lokesh said merely improving educational infrastructure would not be enough. There is a critical need for permanent faculty appointments and a stronger focus on research.
“The Prime Minister instructed us to fill the vacant positions on a war basis. We will complete the recruitment for these positions within the next year,” he said.
The Minister requested the Prime Minister to allocate ₹ 250 crore for research initiatives in AU.
Underlining the important role of Andhra University in shaping the identity of the state, Lokesh reminded that it hosted the first cabinet meeting after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, at a time when the state did not have a capital or secretariat.
Stating that AU is “not just an institution but also a feeling”, he underlined its centuries-old legacy and significant contributions to the intellectual and cultural lives of the Telugu people. He paid tribute to the vision of past leaders like CR Reddy and Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, whose leadership laid the foundations for the growth of AU.
The minister also highlighted AU’s academic achievements, noting its NAAC A++ rating and ranking fourth among public universities in the 2025 NIRF list. He set ambitious targets for the institution, urging it to aim to be in the top three nationally and the top 100 globally.
Lokesh called for stronger industry-academia linkages, arguing that students need to gain practical experience beyond the classroom to close the skills gap. Citing upcoming projects including a Google Data Center and a solar plate manufacturing unit in North Andhra, he urged the AU to design curricula tailored to these industries.
Lokesh talked about his election defeat in 2019 and his comeback in 2024 when he won the Mangalagiri seat by a margin of 91,000 votes. “No risk, no story,” he told students, encouraging them to embrace challenges and failures as stepping stones to success.
