Education, health top priorities for J&K govt: Omar

25/09/2026

SRINAGAR, Sep 23: Jammu and Kash-
mir Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said education and health remain the two foremost responsibilities of his government, stressing that sustained investment in the sectors is essential for the overall development of the region.
Abdullah was addressing the award ceremony of the ALOHA National Level Competition-2026 Ka-shmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.
He called for expanding the ALOHA mental arithmetic programme to government schools in J&K, saying children across the education system should have a level playing field and access to skills needed to compete nationally and internationally.
"Education and health remain the two foremost responsibilities of the government and sustained investment in these sectors is essential for the overall development of the region," Abdullah said.
Describing education as the foundation of development, the Chief Minister said the government was focusing on strengthening the education system so that students are better prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
He emphasised the need to incorporate emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, into the curriculum and equip students with knowledge and skills relevant to the future.
Highlighting the issue of student retention, Abdullah said J&K performs well at the primary and middle-school levels compared with the national scenario, but retention declines as students progress to higher classes.
He called for concrete measures at the secondary-school level to reduce dropout rates and ensure that students remain within the education system through the higher secondary stage.
The Chief Minister also stressed that government and private schools should complement each other rather than function as competing systems.
Children studying in both government and private schools were equally the future of J&K, he said, calling for policies that enable private educational institutions to contribute effectively to the wider education system.
Abdullah appreciated the mental arithmetic skills demonstrated by the participants and said their achievements were a credit to their parents, teachers and ALOHA International.
Congratulating the participants, he said participation itself was an achievement.
"You are all winners. Whether you took back a trophy from here or not, just being here and being able to compete is a victory and is a win," he said.
Abdullah said the government would explore expanding the ALOHA programme to government schools to provide students with wider access to such learning opportunities and create a level playing field.

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