RIYADH, 6 March 2007 — The Ministry of Education is planning to introduce courses on media education as part of a comprehensive strategy to address security concerns posed by the Internet, satellite communication channels and other forms of mass media.
Inaugurating the First International Media Education Conference on Sunday night, Minister of Education Dr. Abdullah Al-Obaid said that the need to introduce such a course had become imperative in view of the fact that the local media was not doing enough to educate youth and raise their level of awareness in this regard.
Delegates from the Kingdom, the Gulf and other countries are participating in the conference which will discuss various aspects of media education, such as the need for setting up training programs for teachers, education and modern communication, risks and opportunities stemming from the mass media.
Al-Obaid said media education had assumed a new dimension, since youth are being subjected to subversive propaganda through the Internet and other means of audiovisual communication.
Dr. Saeed Al-Mallees, deputy minister for boys’ education, said there was a need for coordination between media representatives and the educational planners in order to map out a strategy for combating the menace of an uninhibited flow of news and views which could corrupt morals and undermine national security.
Dr. Khaled Al-Mishary, deputy minister of education for girls’ affairs, hoped that the deliberations of the conference would provide useful input in terms of tackling the challenge.
Referring to the concerns arising from exposure to the Internet and satellite channels, he said Saudi youth need to be educated on the pros and cons of the new communication tools, so that they could learn to distinguish between what is useful and what is not.
In reply to a question, the deputy minister said they were planning to introduce a course on media education for students to help them become discriminating in dealing with the deluge of information flooding through the Internet and satellite channels. “Media education will be taught as one of the courses in the curriculum,” he said.
Ali Al-Qarni, director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States (ABEGS), said the bureau was planning to train teachers in the Gulf states on the importance of the mass media. They will be brought on a common platform so as to develop their skills in mass communications. “Without involving the teachers in this program, it will be difficult to fight the battle across the air waves and the Internet,” he observed.
Al-Qarni also unveiled ABEGS’ life skills program consisting of a mix of media education and a social skills course to be integrated into the curriculum. This would enable the students to be better equipped when they are exposed to the mass media. All this would form part of the curriculum which would be launched in six months. The project has been supported by all the Gulf states, he added.
