Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Yelamanchili Durga Bhavani, Headmistress of the Zilla Parishad High School in Penamaluru is no ordinary headmistress. In just five years, Durga Bhavani has turned her school into a model institution. Under her guidance, 54 students scored above 500 marks in the 2025 SSC public exams and seven students earned admission into prestigious IIITs.

What is more! The school became the first government school in the state to host a Graduation Day and was selected for development under the PM SHRI Yojana. So, how did she manage to turn around a nondescript school into a productive one? It wasn’t just academics. Durga Bhavani infused the school with energy and creativity. She introduced wall art, music, dance, and computer literacy programs through community support.

Through the Atal Tinkering Lab, students co-developed innovations like a grain-drying machine for wet paddy, an iron box heat regulator, and a school-cleaning blower made from recycled materials—turning the school into a mini innovation hub.

Recognition

Impressed by her work, Lokesh personally asked Durga Bhavani for suggestions on how the government can better support schools. “She’s not just a headmistress—she’s a changemaker,” he said. “Her insights are invaluable. Reforms on paper only work when they resonate with educators on the ground.”

He emphasized that student outcomes, not infrastructure alone, will be the focus of the next four years. “Every student matters. We want government school enrolments to rise and private school dependence to fall. That’s the true test of public education reform,” Lokesh noted.

Lokesh also reiterated the government's commitment to the LEAP (Learning Enhancement and Advancement Programme) under the AP Model of Education, which is central to the transformation agenda. He called upon teachers and parents to join hands to rebuild public confidence in government schools.

“The journey has begun,” he said. “Now it’s time to turn vision into results—and it starts with educators like Durga Bhavani.” In a bold declaration that signals a renewed push for public education reform in Andhra Pradesh, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the government’s mission is to make public schools so good that parents will choose them over private institutions.

“Our goal is to see ‘Admissions Closed’ signs outside every government school,” Lokesh said on Friday, underscoring that quality education and restored public trust are the cornerstones of the state’s strategy. He was speaking at a special felicitation ceremony at his Undavalli residence, where he honoured Yelamanchili Durga Bhavani, Headmistress of the Zilla Parishad High School in Penamaluru, as a ‘Shining Teacher’ for her transformative leadership.