JEDDAH, 14 January 2005 — Igniting the creative spark in youngsters and the instructors who teach them will be the topic of a groundbreaking conference in Jeddah.
For the first time in Saudi Arabia, the creativity of educators and children will be a subject for discussion at the Creative Childhood Conference organized by the Al-Ibtikar School and Lina Naseef, its owner and headmistress.
The school already tries to apply many creative methods in its kindergarten and elementary classes, including a well-stocked library, colorful classrooms equipped with intellectual toys and a child computer lab.
Princess Maha Al-Faisal will host the four-day conference on Feb. 26 at Prince Bandar Hall in Dar Al-Hekma College.
At a recent press conference, Naseef said the event aims to build creative members of society starting from childhood through strategies that respect Islamic culture and traditions. The idea is to train instructors to be more constructive in their teaching and to help children discover the creativity within themselves.
“The meeting comprises educational workshops and lectures about enabling headmasters and headmistresses, teachers and educators to be more creative in their teaching,” Naseef said.
The Ministry of Education is helping with the conference, and authorized its Educational Supervision Department to notify every public and private school about the meeting to maximize the benefit of the conference Kingdomwide.
The ministry is considering the creation of licenses for teachers, subject to continual renewal, to assess teachers’ abilities and to ensure that all educators are aware of the latest improvements to educational methods.
Child psychologist Ibtihal Jamjoom says the license will make teachers and educators realize education is more than a job; it is a vital social link in creating citizens of tomorrow.
The meeting will be assisted by visiting educators from across the Arab world so that different teaching methods can be introduced and adapted for use in the Kingdom.
“The meeting will introduce the most recent educational methods and strategies available around the world,” Naseef said. “Everyone who is interested in the field of education will benefit.”
