JEDDAH, 16 March 2004 — The Jeddah Chapter of the Muslim Educational Society will conduct a general talent test for Indian expatriate students next month with the support of educational institutions in the city, the organizers said.
The General Talent Competition or GTC, being held for the fourth consecutive year by the organization, will benefit some 20,000 Indian students in the city, including those who come to the city to spend their holidays.
There are nearly 1.5 million Indians in Saudi Arabia. The International Indian School in Jeddah alone boasts more than 9,000 students on its roster. A number of new schools have sprung up in the city over the past few years in addition to the many GCSE syllabus schools that enroll a good number of Indian students.
“If we look at the GTC event objectively, there is no other public event in Jeddah that is administered to such a large number of students in the area of a talent search or anything similar that encourages students’ competitiveness,” C.P. Saleem, president of Jeddah MES, said.
“Ever since the GTC was launched by the MES it has been attracting around 4,500 to 6,000 students in the preliminary stages,” he said. The organizers expect some 7,000 students this year for the screening test.
“We have come up with this program to stimulate a positive attitude among students, inculcate discipline, develop co-curricular interest and broaden the scope for self-development,” Saleem said.
The competition will be conducted separately for boys and girls (from Class VII to Class XII) in three categories. From the preliminary test, some 1,000 students will be selected to appear for the first phase (essay writing, quiz and geography). Then 150 students will appear for the second and third phases comprising elocution competition and an on-stage interview.
Students entering GTC 2004 have to take a written quiz test that is conducted at their respective schools and the deadline to submit the list of qualifying students is April 15. Selected students must pay a registration fee of SR15, which will be used to meet the program’s expenses.
The winners selected as the most talented Indian boy and girl from each category will be awarded a shield, a certificate and a gift. Individual winners of various contests such as quiz and elocution will also get certificates and gifts, Dr. Abdullah Moopan, former MES president said.
The GTC is immensely popular among Indian students and parents. MES has plans to hold similar contests Kingdomwide and later Gulfwide. “We are ready to share our expertise with Saudis as well as other expatriate communities,” MES officials said.
MES, which was established in Kerala in the sixties as a charity, plays a vital role in promoting education. It currently runs more than 10 postgraduate colleges for men and women, more than 100 senior secondary schools, a professional engineering college, a large number of vocational training institutions and currently is engaged in establishing a medical college.
