Revanth Reddy first serving CM to complete a course in global school

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has achieved the distinction of becoming the first serving Chief Minister to have enrolled and successfully completed a course and obtained certification from a premier global educational institution.

This is a rare achievement as no other leader in India while serving either as Prime Minister or as Chief Minister has ever done any certification in any world-renowned educational institution.

The certification he did was in "Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict, and Courage" conducted by John F Kennedy School of Government in Harvard.

Revanth Reddy did the course in one of the most prestigious Ivy League institutions, Harvard. The Chief Minister and his cohort of 62 students at the Harvard Kennedy School completed their executive education program from January 25 to 30.

We have asked ChatGPT and Gemini as to whether any Chief Minister or Prime Minister in independent India has ever undergone any educational program in any top educational institution in the world to acquire knowledge and reorient themselves.

The answer given by Gemini was:

“While many Indian leaders have degrees from prestigious global universities, it is exceptionally rare for a serving Prime Minister or Chief Minister to step away from their duties to enroll in an educational program for "reorientation."

Most leaders obtain their foreign education before entering high office. However, a very recent and notable exception exists.

The Historic First: Revanth Reddy (2026)

In January 2026, A. Revanth Reddy, the sitting Chief Minister of Telangana, became the first serving Indian CM to enroll in an executive education program at a top global institution while in office.

* Institution: Harvard University’s Kennedy School (USA).

* Program: Leadership in the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict, and Courage.

* Focus: The week-long program (Jan 25–30, 2026) focused on analyzing authority, leadership case studies from diverse regions, and developing strategic solutions for governance in complex environments.

To understand how unique this is, it helps to distinguish between those who entered office with "top-tier" credentials and those who sought them while serving:

The AI tool has given a comparison, listing Revanth Reddy at the top. It has listed Dr Manmohan Singh, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, P Chidambaram and Akhilesh Yadav as those having top degrees from top-notch institutions, but all of them did their courses before becoming what they became.

Usually, leaders get their reorientation by participating in business conferences and seminars.

Because, enrolling in a formal academic cohort involves:

1. Time Constraints: The 24/7 nature of Indian politics makes a week-long absence difficult.

2. Political Risk: Opponents often frame foreign study trips as "holidays," making leaders hesitant to pursue them.

3. Protocol: A serving head of government must manage complex security and protocol even while sitting in a classroom.

While the above information is from Gemini, the response given by ChatGPT only reinforced the same.

We asked: “Which serving CM or pm from India attended an internationally reputed institution for an academic program for acquiring new skills and knowledge?”

The response was interesting.

ChatGPT said --

Harvard Kennedy School Leadership in the 21st Century Program — A. Revanth Reddy (Telangana CM)

• Who: A. Revanth Reddy, serving Chief Minister of Telangana

• What: Enrolled in the “Leadership in the 21st Century (Chaos, Conflict, and Courage)” executive education programme at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• When: January 25–30, 2026.

• Nature of Programme: A structured executive leadership course involving classroom sessions, case analyses, group work, and assignments — not merely attending meetings or conferences.

• Outcome: On completion, he will receive a certificate from Harvard University.

• Significance: Reportedly the first time a serving Indian Chief Minister has enrolled in this kind of academic programme abroad while in office with the explicit purpose of acquiring new leadership knowledge and skills.

What this means

This case is different from:

• Short summit visits (like attending Davos, G20, or bilateral meetings),

• Honorary speeches or invitations,

• Conferences or addresses at universities.

Instead, this is a structured, executive education programme designed as a leadership learning experience and not just a diplomatic engagement.

The unique distinction achieved by Revanth Reddy, if he uses in a right manner, could be of great help in providing leadership and honing of administration.

Revanth Reddy was given a tour of the institution by the Harvard Business School students from the Indian diaspora.

Interestingly, the organisers of Harvard Kennedy School's first AI Policy Symposium have invited the Chief Minister for the prestigious event as a speaker to join Harvard Kennedy School Dean, Jeremy Weinstein, to inaugurate the event to be held in March.

Revanth Reddy, only Indian leader to have been invited, said he would consider delivering the keynote virtually from Hyderabad, India and may also participate in the panel discussion with global leaders and tech thinkers on AI infrastructure as part of the symposium.

Ms Ruxanda Renita and other organisers extended the invite in person to CM on campus.