Prince Mishaal inaugurates Jeddah University program for gifted students

JEDDAH: Prince Mishaal bin Majed, governor of Jeddah, on Sunday inaugurated a Jeddah University program to attract and care for the gifted.
This was done in the presence of university Director Abdul Fattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, Director General of education in Jeddah Abdullah Al-Thakafi, Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Qaeed, secretary general of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (MAWHIBA), and a group of gifted young people.
Prince Mishaal urged the university and its partners to nurture the potential of the gifted, saying they represented real wealth and a promising future.
Mashat said the program is the first of its kind in Saudi universities, covering the fields of science and technology, memorizing the Holy Quran, sports and the arts.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Olayan, adviser to the university director, said the idea behind the program is based on five basic concepts: Excellence, creative production, promotion of excellence, promotion of entrepreneurship, and promotion of experts.
The university attracts students classified as gifted in general education schools, and gives them special advantages to help them enrol at the university.
They receive quality and educational activities and programs to promote their abilities while studying. It also helps them join the labor market after graduation.
The vice president of the university, Dr. Adnan Al-Humaidan, said the university aims to free the gifted from physical and moral restrictions, and to urge them to focus on what promotes self-confidence and develop skills and abilities.
“These programs include the means to attract gifted people and provide them with the best international practices in education,” Al-Humaidan said.
Educating the gifted in the Kingdom is aimed at contributing to meeting the future needs of the state — represented in Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020 — and meeting the special needs of gifted students.
The program also aims to consolidate positive values, build independent personalities, and provide citizens with the knowledge and skills necessary to adapt to labor market needs.