Srinagar: Outlining the importance of quality human resource, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Tuesday said the youth today must get excellent education as it would determine empowerment of nations in the future.
The students must be accustomed to modern methods of teaching to cope with greater challenges ahead in the field of academics, Sayeed added.
"The technology has shrunk world into a global village where competition is becoming tougher by the day. The talent of our youth needs to be channelized properly so as to prepare them for the world of cut throat competition.
"We cannot afford to lag behind...We have to place high priority on upgrading Government schools into institutes of excellence," he said.
The Chief Minister was addressing congregations after inaugurating three higher secondary schools as Model Schools at Bijbehara, Ranibagh and Brakpore, in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.
While J&K Bank has taken up Bijbehara and Ranibagh schools under Corporate Social Responsibility, the school at Brakpore has been adopted by the Chief Minister under his Constituency Development Fund.
Laying stress on honing soft skills of students, the CM asked the teaching fraternity to encourage spoken English as a universal mode of conversation, which, he said, would be a premium to the curriculum vitae of students when they complete studies and venture for jobs in the ever-expanding market.
"Our students are very intelligent and have the right attitude to adapt to new methods of teaching," he said.
Sayeed also laid emphasis on building capacities of teachers so that they are better equipped to impart quality education to their students.
"I won't stop at upgrading a few schools but stress on going horizontal so that all schools are gradually brought under the ambit of the Model School Scheme," he said, while calling for efforts from civil society to lay special focus on education of girl child.
In her address, Member of Parliament, Mehbooba Mufti, said the government has put focus back on education to achieve excellence, which was lost when the state faced turbulent times in the last two-and-a-half decades.
She urged the teaching fraternity to contribute wholeheartedly in improving standards of education so that our students also get a level-playing field.
"Together we will write new chapters in the education sector," she said, while stressing on promotion of Kashmiri language as a compulsory part of school curricula.
