Srinagar- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the time to focus solely on bookish education has gone, calling upon the students to upgrade skills for a better future.

'Design your degree' can be a game changer, the Chief Minister said while speaking to the media persons after addressing the National Education Policy (NEP) Conclave at Amar Singh College.

The CM said they have started seeing benefits of the 'Design Your Degree' policy, which allows the students to design their own degrees and courses.“We are now seeing innovative degrees emerging, skill upgradation and other related things that will help students when they enter the job market,” he said.

Omar added,“It will be a game changer. There was a time when we focused solely on bookish education. Now, a major change has come along with bookish education; the children are being given practical experiences and are being asked to solve problems. Their skills are being upgraded.”

He said this kind of education will be very beneficial for students in the future, when they have to enter the job market. Otherwise, we often say, 'you have educated, but unemployed people'. We are trying to eliminate that unemployment,” he said.

Asked about the cabinet expansion, the Chief Minister said,“I don't know where you are hearing this from. Let the Budgam elections be held, then we will talk.”

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