Vaaradhi India Foundation hosted its annual lecture and prize distribution ceremony in Hyderabad on Saturday, recognising outstanding performances by government school students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in State-level essay writing and debate competitions.

Founded in 2013 by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Mohan Kanda, the foundation works to strengthen public education through programmes in spoken English, coding and teacher training in partnership with SCERT Andhra Pradesh and Samagra Shiksha Telangana.

Around 300 students from 54 districts participated in this year’s State-level competitions, which aim to promote critical thinking, research and communication skills among students.

The annual lecture featured environmentalist Uday Krishna Peddireddi, who spoke on ‘Be the Change You Want to See’, and actor Sumanth, who addressed students on ‘The Joy of Learning’.

In the competition results, ZPHS Rajampalem (A.P.) and ZPHS Rajole (Telangana) won first prize in the essay writing category, while PMSHRI ZPHS Plus, APSP Quarters (A.P.) and ZPHS Nehuru Nagar (Telangana) secured first place in the debate category.

Winning teams received cash prizes of ₹33,000 for first place, ₹30,000 for second place and ₹27,000 for third place.

The event was attended by students, teachers, education officials, judges and government representatives from both states. Vaaradhi organisers said the true success of the initiative lies not just in winning prizes, but in encouraging students to learn, participate and build confidence for their future.