Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed Al-Issa has said the 6th International Exhibition for Education (Taleem 2018) will be inaugurated at the International Convention & Exhibition Center in Riyadh on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference held at his office in Riyadh on Thursday to announce the launch of the four-day Taleem 2018, Al-Issa said the exhibition was a contribution of the ministry to the Saudi Vision 2030, and it aims to give every Saudi child the opportunity for good education with various options.

He said the focus would on the early stages of education in line with the goals of the ministry as well as the vision document.

Al-Issa said the forum would host 120 specialists in the field of early childhood education who will discuss a total of 33 papers during different sessions.

The United States, which will be the guest country at this year’s exhibition and forum, will showcase its 60 years experience in early education, Al-Issa said while stressing the ministry's interest in supporting early childhood education.

Undersecretary for Girls Education at the Ministry of Education and President of The Exhibition and Forum Dr. Haya Bint Al-Awwad explained that the exhibition was a continuation of the ministry’s focus to present the experiences of other countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Finland, Germany and France in the field of education.

"America's pioneering experience in early childhood education will be showcased at ‘Taleem 2018’. The US has long experience in nursery and kindergarten education since 1856 and the system currently caters to more than 2 million American children," Al-Awwad said.

“According to US reports on early childhood education, the educational system of the early stage in the USA is characterized by its emphasis on creative thinking in children and encouraging them to express themselves by providing opportunities for research, experimentation, cooperative effort in decision-making and problem solving," Al-Awwad said.

The main focus of "‘Taleem 2018" is early childhood education.

The Kingdom believes in the importance of the early childhood education, as it believes that proper intervention at an early age will provide the children with high values and will help develop their skills in all areas. This will facilitate the transition to the beginning of the education journey in a more suitable manner for the coming generations.

Taleem will also provide an opportunity for local, regional and international organizations, associations, child programs, children’s cultural and media clubs, children’s publishing houses and family channels to meet investors who are interested in products offered by exhibitors.

A number of selected workshops presented by multiple international speakers specialized in the wide education field will take place on the sidelines of the forum.