JEDDAH, 22 December 2004 — The Center for Information & Guidance (CIGI), which helps students take exams with confidence and guide them in finding excellent jobs, will hold four camps in various parts of Kerala this month for the children of Indian expatriates working in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
The three-day camps to be held from Dec. 24 to 26 are designed specifically for 9th to 12th graders studying in Kerala, according to N.V. Kabeer, executive director of CIGI. “We organize these camps as a service to Keralite expatriates,” he told Arab News.
Most expatriates in the Gulf, especially the less educated among them, dream of a good future for their children, Kabeer said. “We help these expatriates realize their dream by holding a variety of programs to develop the skills of their children,” he added.
Workshops on career planning, time-management, winning personality, interpersonal relationship, effective public speaking and effective communication will be held as part of the camps.
The camps would be held at Dayapuram English Medium School in Calicut, Al Ameen School in Ernakulam, Manjeri Orphanage in Malalppuram, and Valayamkode Vadissalam in Kannur, said Vallanchira Muhammad Ali, chairman of CIGI-Jeddah.
“The camps are motivational and interactive,” said Muhammad Ali, adding that CIGI counselors would give individual care to each student.
Students having behavioral problems and lack of confidence would be given psychological counseling. CIGI has been organizing such camps since 2000.
Parents in Saudi Arabia can register their students through CIGI-Jeddah, said K.M. Mustafa, secretary-general of the Jeddah unit. “A fee of SR85 will be charged from each participant to meet expenses of the three-day camp,” he said and urged parents to register their children at the earliest. Seats at each center are limited and registration will be done on a ‘first-come-first-serve’ basis, he added.
For more information on the camps contact, Mohamed Ali 0504613852 or Mustafa 0504632859. Application form can be downloaded from CIGI-Jeddah website www.cigijeddah.org.
Referring to Jeddah unit’s activities, the chairman said it has conducted a number of camps on remote parenting for Keralites living here without their families. “We have also trained some 15 counselors including doctors, engineers and executives,” he added.