Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led government of weakening the state's government school system and promoting private education. Disputing the coalition government's claims of increased enrolment in government schools, Jagan cited figures from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) for the 2025-26 academic year to argue that enrolment in government institutions had declined since the YSRCP was in power.

According to the figures cited by Jagan, enrolment in government schools fell from 40,50,116 students in 2023-24 to 34,93,450 in 2025-26, representing a decline of 5,56,666 students. He contrasted this with the government's claim that more than 1.10 lakh students had shifted from private schools to government institutions. Jagan argued that if such a large movement had occurred, government school enrolment should have increased rather than declined.

Jagan also pointed to a reduction in the number of government schools during the same period. He claimed that their number fell from about 45,000 in 2023-24 to 44,222 in 2025-26, while government-aided schools declined from 991 to 797. At the same time, he cited an increase in enrolment in privately managed schools, from 45,53,380 students in 2023-24 to 48,40,296 in 2025-26. He argued that the figures reflected a shift away from government education in the state.

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The former Chief Minister alleged that the private education sector in Andhra Pradesh is dominated by institutions such as Narayana, Sri Chaitanya, Bhashyam, Vignan and GITAM. He accused the Naidu government of having close links with these institutions and alleged that government education was being weakened to facilitate the growth of private educational institutions. Jagan also warned that such a trend could make quality education less accessible to students whose families cannot afford private schooling.

Jagan defended the education initiatives implemented during the YSRCP government's 2019-24 tenure, pointing to the Mana Badi-Nadu Nedu programme. He claimed that the initiative improved infrastructure across 56,703 government schools, welfare hostels and junior colleges by upgrading classrooms, furniture, drinking water and sanitation facilities. He also referred to the distribution of tablets with pre-loaded educational content to Class 8 students and teachers and the introduction of bilingual textbooks alongside the transition towards English-medium instruction.

He further cited the installation of interactive flat panels and smart televisions, the introduction of TOEFL-related learning from Class 3 and plans to introduce the International Baccalaureate system as measures intended to improve educational opportunities. Jagan argued that these reforms were aimed at helping students compete at national and international levels. His latest remarks are part of a broader political dispute over the performance of Andhra Pradesh's government education system, with the competing claims expected to remain a subject of debate between the YSRCP and the ruling coalition.

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