Srinagar, Sep 23: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday lauded the exceptional mental arithmetic skills of students participating in the ALOHA National Level Competition (NLC)-2026 at SKICC Srinagar, saying their performance had left him amazed.
Addressing the gathering, CM Omar Abdullah, as per news agency JKNS, said the children had performed calculations faster than he could have done even with a calculator.
“These children really embarrassed me. If you would have given me a calculator, I would not have been able to find out the answer as quickly as these children did. It felt as if these numbers were coming down from the sky,” he said.
Reflecting on his own academic experience, Omar said he had struggled with Mathematics and eventually moved away from Engineering and chose Commerce, without taking Mathematics.
“But what I saw from these children today, I say, what is Engineering? They will succeed in anything they touch. May God give them more success,” he said.
The Chief Minister said it was difficult for children and parents to maintain focus in the present era due to the availability of multiple television channels, mobile phones and other distractions.
He credited the parents and teachers for helping children from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including remote areas, reach the national-level competition and win awards.
“The foundation of everything is our education. What can we achieve without education? Education and health. If we don’t have these two things, whether we get something else or not, it’s of no use,” Omar said.
He said the government’s focus should remain on improving education and health systems so that children are able to compete not only at the national level but also internationally.
On Artificial Intelligence, Omar said new technologies would have to be incorporated into the curriculum and syllabus to prepare children for the future.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need for government and private schools to work together, saying children studying in both systems are the future of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the government was working to make the education system, including school and higher education, easier for private institutions, and noted that a bill for a private university had also been passed so that students would not have to leave Jammu and Kashmir for admissions to private universities.
Omar said the enthusiasm displayed by the children at SKICC gave him hope about the future of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I don’t think it would be wrong to say they put me to shame, because I could never have done what they did today,” he said, crediting their parents, teachers and ALOHA International for their achievements.
He congratulated all participants, saying, “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.”
The Chief Minister further said the government would consider taking ALOHA’s programme into government schools to provide children with a level playing field. (JKNS)
