Lankapalli Bullayya (1918–1992) was an Indian educator and vice-chancellor of Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh. He was the first Dalit to be appointed vice-chancellor of an Indian university.

Life and career

Bullayya was born in 1918 in

Peravali Peravali is a village in East Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The nearest railway station is Tanuku (TNKU) located at a distance of 7.25 Km. Postal index code of this village is 534328 Geography Peravali is located at ...

, near Vemuru,

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...

He had to travel long distances to receive his education. Bullayya received a B.A. degree with honours from Andhra University, and served as principal of a BEd college in

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...

. He later became a District Educational Officer in

, Krishna and other districts and served in the Education Department as a senior-level officer. After the formation of Andhra State in 1953, Bullayya was appointed Director of Public Instruction. As Director of Higher Education for the government of Andhra Pradesh, he was instrumental in bringing about educational reform. He considered the

10+2+3 plan 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

in Andhra Pradesh before it was recommended by the

Kothari Commission National Education Commission (1964-1966), popularly known as Kothari Commission, was an ad hoc commission set up by the Government of India to examine all aspects of the educational sector in India, to develop a general pattern of education, a ...

. In November 1968, Bullaya was appointed vice-chancellor, continuing in that post until December 1974. He sympathised with socially- and economically disadvantaged students, and was concerned about their welfare. Six affiliated colleges were permitted to establish postgraduate departments in selected subjects for the purpose of decentralisation. Coaching classes for civil-service examinations and the Continuing Education Scheme were introduced. For the first time in South India, a School of Correspondence Courses was established due to Bullayya's efforts. When university buildings were damaged after the 1970

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

which struck Visakhapatnam Bullayya showed photographs of the damage to University Grants Commission authorities in New Delhi, seeking grants for the repair of the buildings. The UGC granted funds not only for repairs, but for constructing new buildings. Bullayya later served at the Union Public Service Commission in an advisory capacity on behalf of Telugu-speaking candidates at the UPSC Interview Board. He was chairman of the Andhra Pradesh and all-India units of the Boy Scouts and a director on the Andhra Bank Board. Bullayya's wife, Samyuktha, was also an educator and former chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board. His brother's sons Lankapally Ramesh Babu and Suresh Babu are public servants in

Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar or SR Nagar is predominantly a residential area in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is close to Ameerpet, a commercial suburb. It is named after the sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy. The area is being a resid ...

, Hyderabad. Dr. Bullayya College at Visakhapatnam was named after him. He founded Dr. V.S. Krishna Government College in remembrance of his predecessor, vice-chancellor Vasireddy Sri Krishna, and was more concerned about that school than the one named after himself. A bust of Bullayya has been installed in the School of Distance Education in Visakhapatnam."Lankapalli Bullayya (1918-1992): A visionary educationist". ''The Hindu'', January 6, 2003
Retrieved 2011-06-16.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullayya, Lankapalli Telugu people 1918 births 1992 deaths Vice-chancellors of Andhra University People from Guntur district 20th-century Indian educational theorists