JEDDAH — Keeping in line with the tradition of engaging the youth, especially the student population, the District Committee of Muslim Educational Society Jeddah has unveiled a new educational program to equip the young generation to face the challenges of tomorrow. The new educational program, to be known as “MES Al Abeer Educity ESEL Competition 2014” was announced to the public at a meeting of MES Executive Committee with Mohammed Alungal, promoter and chairman of the state-of-the-art Rs.8 billion Al Abeer Educity project being established in the state of Kerala, India. On the occasion, Alungal announced his organization's acceptance to sponsor the ESEL Competition 2014. He is also the Chairman of the Al Abeer Medical Group.
The MES Al Abeer Educity ESEL Competition 2014 targets students, both boys and girls in Grade IX up to XII and they will be tested in essay writing and oratory skills. Entrance to the competition is free for all students.
There will be two separate categories for both boys and girls at the secondary and senior secondary levels. The program will be implemented over a period of two months during April-May in collaboration with various Secondary and Senior Secondary International Indian Schools in Jeddah, in three stages: (1) preliminary (2) semi final and (3) final event.
The preliminary phase of the ESEL Competition 2014 will be a screening essay test in English language administered by respective schools on April 10 in which more than 4,000 students are expected to participate. The semi-final will be an elocution competition from which 5 students from each of the four categories will be selected to enter the final stage. The finale will be in the form of an open public speaking competition among the finalists at various grade levels and the winners will be feted on the occasion. The winner in each of the four categories will be selected on the basis of the total marks scored in the three phases. Individual category winners will also be honored.
According to Mohamed Ashraf Puthenveetil, President of the Jeddah District MES Committee, the group is finalizing implementation plans for the organization's brand event GTC (General Talent competition), which has been extremely popular among students and parents in Jeddah, on a grand scale with new restructured events in early 2015.
The India-based MES has left an indelible impression in the field of education and philanthropy through its institutions and scholarships and has been at the forefront of leading a silent educational revolution in Kerala for the last several decades, especially among girls, with highly acclaimed educational institutions in the areas of medicine, engineering, humanities and the sciences. Sewventeen postgraduate colleges and 100 schools are being managed by the MES State Committee both in CBSE and state syllabus in addition to other institutions in the health sector. MES educational institutions have an enrollment of 50,000 students.
The main sponsor of the event, Al Abeer Educity is a new venture in the field of education in the state of Kerala which aims at providing comprehensive education, a new learning experience in a smart environment, and providing the best facilities in primary and secondary schooling, professional education in medicine, nursing, engineering and selected disciplines under humanities.
It will also run an international business school and provide residential, library, healthcare and extracurricular facilities to the students in its 70 acre modern campus designed by leading Indian architects in consultation with German collaborators.
The Al Abeer Medical Group, the parent organization behind the Al Abeer Educity, also chaired by Alungal, is one of the leading healthcare providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia currently spreading its wings into other Gulf countries as well. It is also horizontally spreading its presence into other service sectors such as information technology, medical tourism, etc.
As an organization committed to uplift the economically backward members of the community, it will allocate a certain number of seats in all its educational institutions to provide free professional education to deserving brilliant students. According to Alungal, the Chairman of the Group, his organization believes in providing “affordable, quality education and health care for all.” — SG
