Andhra Pradesh has sought a wider partnership with Singapore covering education, digital governance, administrative training and skill development, as officials reviewed cooperation linked to the development of Amaravati as a modern, integrated and sustainable capital city.
Education minister Nara Lokesh made the proposal at the third meeting of the Singapore-Andhra Pradesh joint implementation standing committee at the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority office in Amaravati. Senior officials from both governments attended the meeting, which reviewed progress under the memorandum of understanding between Andhra Pradesh and Singapore.
Lokesh said capacity-building programmes supported by Singapore in the education sector had produced encouraging results. He thanked Singapore for organising training programmes for six Andhra Pradesh ministers and 37 teachers, and proposed sending high-performing teachers to Singapore during the summer vacation to study international teaching methods.
He also said teachers returning from the programmes should share their experience with colleagues across the state through school complex meetings. According to the report, he said capacity-building initiatives in the education department should focus on mentoring, guidance and administration.
Under the Singapore-assisted SAGE programme, Lokesh proposed joint training for ministers and secretaries of the relevant departments instead of separate programmes. He said this could improve coordination between policy formulation and implementation. The minister also sought expanded programmes on leadership development, modern administrative practices, digital skills and experience-sharing for senior government officials and civil servants.
The proposals included seeking Singapore’s expertise in digital transformation, real-time governance, integrated digital platforms, command and control centres and data-driven decision-making. These areas are central to the state’s effort to build administrative systems for Amaravati and manage public services across a developing capital region.
Lokesh said successive cyclones in Andhra Pradesh had delayed the implementation of some initiatives. He said the state would overcome the disruptions and take the programmes forward, while seeking stronger cooperation in skill development, employee training and technology adoption.
The meeting also highlighted delays in implementing decisions taken at earlier committee meetings. Lokesh directed officials to review implementation every six months and said proper planning and continuous monitoring were necessary to meet agreed targets. Officials informed the minister that a dedicated nodal officer had been appointed to monitor progress.
The Singapore delegation responded positively to the proposals, with discussions covering education, skill development, digital administration and leadership training. The delegation was led by Gun Siew Huang and included representatives from Singapore’s ministries of foreign affairs and trade and industry, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, Enterprise Singapore and Singapore’s diplomatic missions in India.
Andhra Pradesh was represented by principal secretary for finance and planning Piyush Kumar, special chief secretary G Jayalakshmi, APCRDA commissioner Vijayarama Raju, higher education commissioner Bharat Gupta, skill development managing director Ganesh Kumar and other senior officials. The next implementation reviews are expected to track progress on the agreed programmes and earlier committee decisions.
