Education And Healthcare Top Priorities For Govt: CM

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said strengthening education and healthcare remains a top priority for the Jammu and Kashmir Government, stressing that improvements in both sectors are essential for children to compete at national and international levels.

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Addressing the award ceremony of the ALOHA National Level Competition (NLC)-2026 Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Omar praised the participating students for their mental arithmetic skills.

“These children were amazing. If you had given me a calculator, I would not have been able to find the answers as quickly as they did,” he said.

Recalling his school days, the Chief Minister said mathematics had been a difficult subject for him and that simply passing the subject had been a significant achievement.

Omar said children today face greater competition for their attention because of television, mobile phones and digital platforms, making it increasingly difficult to keep them focused on a particular activity.

He credited parents and teachers for helping the students develop the skills needed to compete at national-level events.

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“The biggest responsibility for the government is to pay attention to these two things and how we improve the education system and how we improve the health system. Only then can our children compete not just at the national level but at the international level,” he said.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the need to improve student retention, saying Jammu and Kashmir performs well at the primary and middle-school levels but sees a decline in enrolment as students move into higher classes.

He called for concerted efforts to reduce dropout rates and ensure that students remain in the education system through the higher secondary level.

Omar also called for greater cooperation between government and private schools, saying students should not be treated differently based on the type of institution they attend.

“This is not a competition between a private school and a government school. The children are ours, whether they study in a government school or a private school, and they are the future of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

He said the government was working to simplify procedures for private schools by reducing delays and hurdles related to permissions and approvals.

The Chief Minister also referred to legislation for private universities, saying it would create greater opportunities for students to pursue quality higher education within Jammu and Kashmir.

He stressed the need to prepare students for emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence by incorporating new developments into school curricula and syllabi.

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Referring to the ALOHA competition, Omar said participation by children from remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, other states and abroad was encouraging.

He said the achievements of the young participants reflected the efforts of their parents, teachers and ALOHA International, adding that participation itself was an achievement.

The Chief Minister also said the government would explore introducing the ALOHA mental arithmetic programme in government schools to provide students across the education system with a level playing field.

He congratulated the participating students, parents, teachers and organisers and expressed hope that the ALOHA programme would expand further in Jammu and Kashmir.

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