In line with the National Education Policy, the agricultural education will be revamped by giving emphasis on skill development, Seema Jaggi, Additional Director General (HRD), Indian Council of Agricultural Education (ICAR) has said. The course curriculum will be restructured in a way that helps open a wide array of opportunities in the agriculture sector, she added.

She was speaking after inaugurating a 21-day Winter School, a training programme for researchers and academicians, at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Wednesday.

With this, education and research in agriculture and allied areas will have greater opportunities in the future, she said, adding that setting up of initiatives like incubation centres would greatly support rural development.

Stressing the importance of analytical tools in social science research, Seema Jaggi said research would be incomplete without proper data analysis. It is essential to have a solid understanding of modern statistical, econometric and time series methods to make proper inferences in social sciences research, she added.

Sponsored by the Agricultural Education Division of ICAR, the Winter School is aimed at providing an opportunity to update the analytical skills of social science researchers and make them more familiar with advanced analytical tools and software.

As many as 25 participants from Rajasthan, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are attending.

CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishnan said the use of statistically valid judgments derived from research programmes is the foundation for the growth of the social sciences discipline. It calls for the use of precise analytical tools for deriving conclusions from scientifically gathered data and hence improving scientific research and reporting efficiency.

 The course is divided into several theme-based modules, including classroom lectures and hands-on exercises using statistical software.

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