AP literacy rate jumps by 10% in 2026; government sets September 2027 deadline for 100%

Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate has risen sharply to 82.1% in 2026 from 72.6% in 2024, with around 25 lakh people becoming literate through the state government’s Akshara Andhra programme, Education Minister Nara Lokesh said. Lokesh, in a social media post, described the increase as a “historic” transformation and said the state had been among those with the lowest literacy rates in India in 2024, when he took charge of the education department.

“I’m SUPER EXCITED to announce that AP has shot up in literacy to 82.1% in 2026 from 72.6% in 2024!” Lokesh said, while extending his best wishes to the education department for implementing the large-scale literacy field programme and to teachers who have contributed to the campaign.

According to the minister, around 25 lakh people have become literate under the Akshara Andhra initiative over the past year. The government now aims to take the literacy rate to 100% by September 2027.

The minister said another 52 lakh people would need to be covered to achieve the target. He said the government would continue its efforts to ensure that people who remain illiterate are reached through the programme.

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Akshara Andhra programme

During a review meeting with school and intermediate education officials, Lokesh directed officials to work towards achieving 100% literacy in the state by September 2027. Officials said the government has drawn up a plan to make another 25 lakh people literate by March 2027, followed by the remaining 27 lakh by September 2027.

The Akshara Andhra programme is being implemented in coordination with 11 government departments. Lokesh instructed officials to strengthen coordination among the departments and involve MLAs and local representatives in the literacy campaign.

He also called for intensified field-level efforts to identify and reach people who are still unable to read and write. The programme is aimed at taking literacy initiatives beyond formal educational institutions and reaching adults and other sections of the population who have remained outside the education system. The review meeting also examined the issue of school-age children who are currently outside the formal education system. Officials said 1,64,821 school-age children in Andhra Pradesh are currently out of school.

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The government has been working to bring such children back into formal education. Officials said around 33,000 children who were outside the school system were enrolled in schools this year. Lokesh has directed officials to continue efforts to identify out-of-school children and facilitate their enrolment, alongside the ongoing literacy campaign. The state government is simultaneously focusing on improving literacy among adults and ensuring that children of school-going age are brought into the formal education system.