JEDDAH: International Indian School, Jeddah (IISJ) set an example for other educational institutions in the Kingdom recently by holding a parent-teacher-student seminar for the first time as part of its efforts to further improve IISJ's educational standard.
Abdul Ilah Saati, vice dean of Jeddah Community College (JCC), delivered the keynote speech, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between parents, teachers and students to achieve academic excellence. He praised IISJ authorities for inviting student speakers to address the seminar.
Saati said parents should be more tolerant and patient while dealing with their teenage children. "Nobody loves a child better than his/her parents. We should convey this message to our children. This will certainly change their mind as well as their attitude toward parents," he said.
He said Jeddah's King Abdulaziz University was cooperating with Indian institutions of higher learning to promote education. "We at JCC send our students to India for training and higher education," he pointed out.
Akbar Batcha, chairman of IISJ managing committee, said his team initiated the seminar to serve as a platform for parents, teachers and students to express their viewpoints on the present academic system in order to remove its shortcomings and make joint efforts to improve the school's academic standard.
He emphasized the role of teachers in shaping the future of their students, by providing them with proper education and guidance. "We have to change our mindset and cooperate with one another to achieve academic excellence," he told the gathering attended by a large number of parents and teachers.
Speakers representing students, parents and teachers gave their visions. Students and teachers asked parents to spend quality time with their children to understand their problems and encourage them in studies while teachers were told to train students to face the challenges of cut-throat competition.
Speakers also referred to the excess influence of electronic media on students, detracting them from their studies. They emphasized the need to inculcate moral values in the minds of students, reduce the number of students in classes to manageable levels, and appoint student counselors.
Teachers must be continuous learners to excel in their profession and answer intelligent questions of their students. Teachers were advised not to have preconceived notions and judgments about students saying it would affect their future.
Students Farhat Nazneen, Fawaz Shaheen, Naziya Fatima, Afiya Afzal, Fazil Saifuddin, Mariyam Alawi and Muhsin Merchant, parents Mohammed Zafar Mahmoud, Mrs. Adil Khan, Capt. Shah, Mohammed Sadatullah Khan and Siraj Wahab and teachers Zeenath Sajith, Tasneem Khan, Bushra Zaidi, and Kaneez Fatima presented papers. Israrul Haque was the moderator. Salabat Ali Lodhi, a managing committee member, welcomed the guests while Acting Principal Syed Masood Ahmed gave a vote of thanks. Indian Consul Cyril Tigga was the chief guest.
