JEDDAH, 1 May — Princess Sarah Al-Anqari, wife of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, honored Sultana Alireza-Zahid, chief executive director of the Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing, during a ceremony at King Abdul Aziz University’s women’s campus here on Sunday night.
The ceremony was part of the campus’ fifth Career Day which Princess Sarah opened earlier. The idea was to honor a Saudi woman who has contributed to training and employing Saudi women graduates. Sultana has been involved in training a number of graduates and has also provided post-secondary scholarships for suitable candidates.
Sultana spoke to Arab News after receiving the prize. “I feel highly honored by this recognition. It will be a very strong motivation for us in the future,” she said.
“At JISH we have implemented a number of programs to improve the skills of Saudi graduates. We have provided introductory courses in communication disorders which is our specialty. We also offer scholarships for the best MA candidate in that major and we are prepared to offer a Ph.D. scholarship in the near future in association with the American Speech and Hearing Association. We have made these efforts to help new graduates become qualified and then to teach,” she added.
Asked about what the women graduates lack, she answered without hesitation, “Knowledge of, and ability to use, English. We have been unable to accept a number of graduates because of their inability to use English. It is a very crucial element in our field because there are almost no Arabic writings; much of the research and development is being done in English.”
Sultana spoke about JISH’s future plans. “We are hoping to open a language pre-school for normal children and those with special needs. We are also cooperating in doing research with the Prince Salman Center in Riyadh. We will be moving to a new building by 2002 as well as continuing our day clinics.”
“The importance of education for women can never be overemphasized,” Sultana said. “Whether they want to be housewives or to have a career, they all need education. As mothers, they will be teaching the next generation and as career-women, using knowledge is of prime importance. I am always impressed by the goodwill of our young women. They also have enormous talent and a great desire to learn.”
The Career Day, under the theme “Investing in People”, included the launching of Sahr-kau.com job search programs for university graduates and opening of the fifth Career Day Exhibition at which employers demonstrate their services to graduates. Speakers included Abdullah Al-Moalemi, mayor of Jeddah, Dr. Majed Al-Kassabi, secretary-general of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Hazaa, secretary-general of the national employment and training project. They all drew attention to the economic and sociological effects of unemployment.
