JEDDAH, 31 August 2006 — The Regional Scientific Conference for Giftedness concluded here yesterday after four days of seminars attended by over 2,000 education experts and teachers from Arab, Islamic and global public and private institutions.
The conference stressed the importance of developing and studying services which could be applied for the gifted in the community.
Participants thanked several organizations that took part in the event, such as the Asian Council for the Gifted, the International Association for Science and Education, the International Council for Gifted Children, the Office for Arab Education in the Gulf as well as the Emirates Association for the Welfare of the Gifted.
The conference conducted 21 sessions and discussed 89 scientific reports which focused on the concepts associated with giftedness and ways to identify gifted youngsters, theories associated with giftedness and creativity, programs that sponsor gifted persons and develop creative intellectual thinking, as well as caring of gifted persons with disabilities. The conference also discussed in its many sessions the role government and private institutions play in sponsoring gifted persons and the role the media and family play in caring for them.
The sessions were highlighted by many interventions from participants who stressed the importance of giving special care to the gifted, developing educational curricula to meet the needs of the gifted persons, and ways to invest in the talents gifted persons have to better serve their community.
Asmaa Al-Awam from the Eastern Province, who participated in the conference, said she hoped the private sector in the Kingdom would help nurture the talents in Saudi youth.
“We want our thoughts and ideas to be developed through the private sector. That way these thoughts could be further developed and it would contribute in our development,” she said.
She said she was hopeful that cooperation with international organizations that seek to develop talents in gifted persons continues after the event was over.
Regarding the methods for discovering talented youngsters, participants stressed the importance of doing so at an early age. They also said it was important that teachers in preschools and kindergartens learn how to identify a gifted child.
“Specialists with expertise should train these teachers on the methods of how to discover talented youngsters in a scientific manner according to clear and vivid standards,” the concluding statement said.
Regarding disabled gifted persons, participants said it was vital to increase awareness among the community about the needs of disabled gifted persons as well as develop the identification methods associated with recognizing them to nurture their talents in society.
As for the role of the media and family in caring for the gifted, participants recommended that more educational and guidance programs be conducted to create awareness among people of the presence of gifted persons in society and their talents.
Participants recommended that a special fund be established to support projects, inventions, and creative thinking, and urged businessmen and investors to participate by donating to this fund.
