RIYADH, 4 March 2007 — The first international conference on media education will open here today as part of an innovative move to promote the role of the mass media as an educational tool.
The four-day event, sponsored by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, will bring together educationists, media producers and UNESCO experts who will discuss how students can benefit from the Internet and the mass media.
Minister of Education Abdullah Al-Obaid said the main objective of the conference was to focus attention on the mass media as an essential tool of the enlightened citizen, as media education enables the people to interpret news and develop critical and creative skills of the youth.
Al-Obaid said his ministry was highly interested in developing youth awareness, specifically in preparing them to deal with the huge volume of information directed at them through the media in all its forms.
According to Dr. Khaled ibn Abdullah, deputy minister for girls’ education, the conference reflects the importance of the media as a modern means of communication and enlightenment. It could also be regarded as a shield in protecting youth against the risks from the Internet.
He said the conference would discuss the issue from the perspective of media education in order to enable the youth to make a better choice in a flood of information available to them. Raising the level of awareness is the best way to protect youth against messages inconsistent with good morals and correct norms.
Abdullah Hamoud Al-Gobairy, head of the media committee, said a number of topics would be discussed. They include the student’s use of the media as an aid to learning, importance of the Internet for parents, and how the media can discharge its responsibility in raising the level of awareness on national and social issues.
He said the Ministry of Education was organizing the event in collaboration with the Mentor Association, and the Capital Center for Exhibitions.
The conference is at the King Faisal Conference Hall in Riyadh. There will be 11 scientific sessions, six round table talks and five workshops. Experts from the Kingdom, UNESCO and other countries will provide input for the discussions.
