JEDDAH, 12 June — The Jeddah chapter of Muslim Educational Society, a leading educational organization in India, is planning to hold annual talent hunt programs for students of all international schools in the city, according to Dr. Abdullah Mooppan, its president.
“We have already put the machinery on the move and started identifying judges and evaluators for the next event. We hope all the schools and business establishments in Jeddah would cooperate with us,” Mooppan, a medical doctor and a social worker, told Arab News.
He said the talent hunt program organized by MES this year for students of Indian origin was successful as it attracted 3,600 students. “We are considering to include new items such as a science talent test and a creative story writing contest in the coming programs.”
MES decided to hold this program annually in the light of the good response from parents, teachers and schools, the president said. This year’s event, which included a quiz competition, general knowledge and geography tests, essay writing, elocution and stage interview, was first of its kind.
Adel Rasheed Yousuf and Asjeena Andru of International Indian School, Jeddah, won the top prizes in the senior boys and girls categories of the monthlong competition. Muhammad Hasan Khan grabbed four gold medals, winning all the four contests for junior boys, while Zainab Sultan was the most talented junior girl.
Sameena Khan, Amina Mansour, Hanan Sayeed, Roohi Saleem, Angela Cherian, Zakariya Shamsuddin, Arun Selvanesan, Santosh Kumar, Faraz Hussein and Ayman Anwar Ilyas received gold medals for winning the first place in individual items. The concluding function was opened by Adnan Dabbagh, executive vice president of Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Students from IISJ, Al-Wurood and Al-Hayat schools participated in the event. “The objective was to promote self-confidence and self-esteem among students and prepare them to meet future challenges, improve their academic standard and prepare them to attend competitive exams,” Mooppan said.
He urged Indian school management committees to adopt a new recruitment policy to get best teachers. “They should first identify the best teachers in famous schools in India and take necessary steps to recruit them by giving them adequate incentives. It will have a positive change in the academic standard of our schools.”
MES, which runs several institutions of higher education in the south Indian state of Kerala, has launched a counseling program for parents and students in Jeddah. Separate sessions are planned for parents whose children are studying in India.