Muscat: Oman Childhood Conference and Expo, the first of its kind in Oman, kicked off here on Monday.
The three-day conference and expo, held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), is organized by the Children First Association.
HH Sayyid Marwan Turki al Said, Governor of Dhofar, the patron of the event, said in a statement that the conference focuses on gifted children and shedding light on various related elements such as the home, family, school, environment and media. Children should be empowered, he affirmed.
On her turn, HH Dr Mona Fahd al Said, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Children First Association, delivered a speech at the opening of the conference, in which she indicated that the idea of the conference is centered on highlighting contemporary trends in grooming gifted and talented children. It is also focused on anticipating the future of gifted children by increasing awareness in school communities and the family.
HH Dr Mona said that the conference covers several topics, namely the theories of giftedness, excellence, creativity, methods for detecting gifted students, care programmes, and the role of civil, governmental, and private society institutions in caring for gifted students. She pointed out that these topics will be addressed through 49 working papers and 17 training workshops presented by many professors specialized in the field of giftedness and who have a long experience in the field and its various branches.
The first day included 17 working papers and three workshops that addressed several topics, including caring for the gifted through STEM-oriented programmes and activities and the role of society in caring for the gifted, among other topics.
An exhibition is held on the sidelines of the event. It contains platforms and a theater that offers many training sessions and entertainment activities, such as: Children First Association’s platform, the Ministry of Information’s platform and an open theatre.
The exhibition also includes a group of exhibitors in the fields of education and health. Presentations will be given within the framework of awareness programmes. The exhibition also includes platforms for a number of government units to display their services and spread awareness to all segments of society.
The Ministry of Information’s platform includes many events and activities that seek to develop the skills of young media professionals. At the exhibition, the Ministry of Information will provide short media training workshops to children. The workshops will be presented by several media professionals.
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