Srinagar, September 23,2026- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for extending the ALOHA mental arithmetic programme to government schools across Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing the need to provide children across the education system a level playing field and equip them with skills to compete both nationally and internationally.
Addressing the award ceremony of the ALOHA National Level Competition-2026 Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here, the Chief Minister reiterated that education and health remain the two foremost responsibilities of the government, stressing that sustained investment in these sectors is essential for the overall development of the region.
“Education is the foundation of everything. Without education, what can we achieve? Education and health: without these two things, there is no point in getting anything else,” the Chief Minister said, underlining the government’s continued focus on strengthening these two critical sectors.
Omar Abdullah said the government is working to improve the education system so that children are better equipped to face the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. He emphasised the need to incorporate emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, into the school curriculum, ensuring that students acquire the knowledge and skills demanded by the future job market and global competitiveness.
Addressing Student Retention and Dropout Rates
Highlighting a persistent challenge within the education system, the Chief Minister noted that Jammu and Kashmir performs well at the primary and middle-school levels when compared to the national scenario, but the retention rate declines significantly as students progress to higher classes. He underscored that secondary schools need to take concrete, targeted steps to bring down dropout rates, calling for concerted efforts to ensure children remain within the education system through the higher secondary level.
The Chief Minister also stressed the importance of collaboration between government and private schools, urging both systems to work together rather than operate as competing entities. He noted that children studying in both government and private institutions are equally the future of Jammu and Kashmir, and called for policies that enable private educational institutions to contribute meaningfully to the broader education ecosystem.
Referring to this year’s legislation on private universities, Omar Abdullah said the initiative was designed to create quality higher education opportunities within Jammu and Kashmir itself, reducing the need for students to leave the region in search of quality private higher education elsewhere.
Celebrating Student Participation and Achievement
The Chief Minister expressed appreciation for the enthusiasm and performance of participating students at the large gathering at SKICC, which saw children from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, other states of the country, and abroad take part. He noted that participation from states such as Kerala, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, alongside international participants, in a competition held in Srinagar was a positive indication of the region’s growing educational and cultural connect with the rest of the country and the world.
Praising the mental arithmetic abilities demonstrated by the young participants, Omar Abdullah said their achievements reflected credit upon their parents, teachers, and ALOHA International. He congratulated all participants, emphasizing that mere participation in such a competition was itself an achievement worth celebrating.
“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, encouraging the young competitors to continue pursuing excellence.
The Chief Minister reaffirmed that the government would explore ways to introduce the ALOHA programme into government schools, thereby giving a wider section of students access to such learning opportunities. “This is something that we need to incorporate into the government school system as well, so that we give our children a level playing field,” he said, adding that efforts would be made to expand the ALOHA family across Jammu and Kashmir.
The event was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmed Wani, Founder and President of ALOHA Loh Mun Sung, Director International ALOHA Kiran Motwani, MD ALOHA J&K Mubashir Wafai, along with teachers, students, and parents.
