Kochi, Jan 11 (IANS): In line with the National Education Policy, the agricultural education in the country will be revamped by laying emphasis on skill development, Dr Seema Jaggi, Additional Director General (HRD) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Education (ICAR) said here on Wednesday.

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

She added that the course curriculum will be restructured in a way that helps open a wide array of opportunities in the agriculture sector.

"With this, education and research in agriculture and allied areas will have greater opportunities in the country 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, she said that 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 the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (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.

A total of 25 participants from Rajasthan, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are attending the Winter School.

CMFRI Director Dr A. Gopalakrishnan said the use of statistically valid judgments derived from research programmes is the foundation for the growth of the social sciences discipline.