Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh assembly on Wednesday passed a series of bills relating to higher education reforms, faculty recruitment, private universities, skill universities, municipal governance and ease of doing business.
Education, IT and electronics minister Nara Lokesh piloted four higher education-related bills, while municipal administration minister P Narayana introduced amendments providing for direct election of mayors and municipal chairpersons. Law minister NMd Farooq introduced AP Omnibus (Speed of Doing Business) Bill.
One of the key legislations passed by House was AP State Educational Institutions Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre Bill, 2026, aimed at facilitating recruitment of teaching faculty in state universities while implementing reservation norms within a legally sustainable framework. Lokesh said nearly 77% of teaching posts in state universities remain vacant and govt plans to fill 1,523 faculty posts in the first phase of recruitment.
The legislation treats universities as the recruitment unit while providing mechanisms to address reservation requirements, faculty adjustment and creation of supernumerary posts wherever necessary.
Assembly also approved AP State Private Skill Universities Establishment and Regulation Bill, 2026, creating a framework for establishment of industry-linked skill universities.
The bill allows greenfield and brownfield skill universities, including conversion of existing educational institutions, ITIs and polytechnics into skill universities. Lokesh said the objective is to bridge the gap between industry requirements and workforce skills through industry participation in curriculum, training and apprenticeship programmes.
House further passed amendments to Andhra Pradesh Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Act. The amendments reduce minimum land requirements for establishing universities in urban areas, lower endowment requirements, simplify approval processes and enable conversion of eligible institutions into universities. The changes also pave the way for establishment of Vishnu Women’s University.
