Nandyal: In a bid to recognise and encourage academic excellence among students, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has instituted the ‘Shining Stars Awards’ for students who achieved top scores in the SSC and Intermediate Second Year examinations.

As part of this initiative, 182 Class 10 students and 35 Intermediate students were felicitated at a district-level award ceremony held at the ASR Kalyana Mandapam in Nandyal on Monday.

Speaking at the occasion, Minister Farooq stated that the Shining Stars Awards 2025 were introduced to celebrate students who displayed exceptional performance in the Class 10 and Intermediate exams.

Each awardee received a medal, a cash prize of Rs 20,000, and a certificate of appreciation. The awards were presented to students from both government and private institutions across various streams, including MPC, BiPC, HEC, CEC, MEC, and vocational groups, based purely on merit.

The Minister emphasided that the government does not differentiate between students of government and private institutions when it comes to acknowledging talent. He urged students to recognise their parents’ sacrifices and strive harder to achieve greater heights.

Highlighting the academic progress of the district, he noted that Nandyal secured 82% pass percentage in SSC, placing it at the top among Rayalaseema districts. He also lauded the introduction of the ‘Naadu-Nedu’ and ‘Nadu-Nedu: Nauk Vidya’ initiatives aimed at enhancing both academic and technical skills among students. He encouraged students to focus not only on academics but also on skill development.

Addressing the gathering, district Collector G Rajakumari highlighted that the Shining Stars Award ceremonies are being conducted across all districts as per the vision of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Education Minister N Lokesh.

She further noted that female student pass percentage exceeded 60% and assured that additional measures are being taken to improve this further.