Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar Tuesday said the education system in J&K should be enabler of abilities and creativity. He said need is to script a new story and break loose of the clichés to address the problem of unemployment through promotion of local entrepreneurship models. The Minister said this while speaking at a function organised at Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in connection with the launch of innovative concept copy, ‘C-Copy’, a product of a local entrepreneur, Muddassar Khan.MLA Dooru, Farooq Andrabi, Director JKEDI, M I Parrey, various dignitaries and local entrepreneurs were present on the occasion.
Addressing the well-attended gathering, the Minister said creative mindset, ability to learn, craftsmanship, entrepreneurial skills has remained a legacy of our forefathers and we must promote these inherited qualities which reflect in our products like the Kashmiri shawls and other handicrafts. He further said Kashmir’s identity besides other things, is also the genius of its forefathers who gave masterpieces through their creativity to the world and brought recognition to the place, which has been a seat of learning in the past.In order to rejuvenate the State’s education system, a conscious effort is being made to explore potentialities in the students and promote creativity and inquisitiveness among them, the Minister said and added that skill development needs repackaging in line with the market demands.
He said various efforts are being made to encourage such skills through introduction of vocational courses and on the job training in schools and colleges like Boutique technology etc so as to encourage youth to take up entrepreneurship as their career option.Akhtar said, although J&K has the best talent available among the youth, there is need to provide an enabling environment and requisite motivation to excel. The Minister said we need to produce practitioners and entrepreneurs through developing working models within institutions with the help of students on commercial lines, so that they could explore their inner abilities, imbibe local needs and entrepreneurial skills to be job providers and not job seekers.Earlier Director JKEDI, speaking on the occasion gave an overview of the activities of the institute and its various schemes to encourage entrepreneurship among the local youth.