Srinagar, September 23: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday called for introducing the ALOHA mental arithmetic programme in government schools to provide children across the education system a level playing field and equip them with skills to compete nationally and internationally.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmed Wani, ALOHA founder and President Loh Mun Sung, Director International ALOHA Kiran Motwani, ALOHA J&K Managing Director Mubashir Wafai, besides teachers, students and parents, attended the ceremony.
Addressing the award ceremony of the ALOHA National Level Competition-2026 Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the Chief Minister stressed the importance of sustained investment in education and health, describing them as the two foremost responsibilities of the government.
“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,” Omar Abdullah said.
Focus on education, technology and student retention
The Chief Minister said the government was focusing on improving the education system to prepare students for 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 future-oriented knowledge and skills.
Highlighting student retention as a key challenge, Omar Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir performs well at the primary and middle-school levels compared to the national scenario, but retention rates decline significantly as students progress to higher classes.
He called for concrete measures at the secondary-school level to reduce dropout rates and ensure that children remain within the education system through the higher secondary stage.
Omar Abdullah also stressed the need for government and private schools to work together rather than view each other as competing systems. He said students from both sectors represent the future of Jammu and Kashmir and called for policies that enable private educational institutions to contribute effectively to the wider education ecosystem.
Referring to legislation on private universities introduced this year, the Chief Minister said the initiative was aimed at creating opportunities within Jammu and Kashmir so that students would not have to leave the region in search of quality private higher education.
Government schools to be considered for ALOHA programme
Speaking about the ALOHA mental arithmetic programme, Omar Abdullah said the government would explore introducing it in government schools to expand access to 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 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister appreciated the enthusiasm and performance of the participating students and acknowledged the participation of children from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, other parts of the country and abroad.
He said the participation of students from Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan, along with international participants, was a positive indication of growing educational and cultural connections with Jammu and Kashmir.
Praising the mental arithmetic abilities demonstrated by the young participants, Omar Abdullah said their achievements were a credit to their parents, teachers and ALOHA International.
Congratulating all participants, he emphasised that taking part in the competition 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.
