RIYADH: The first Gulf Forum for Enlightenment on Nanotechnology in general education is set to start in Riyadh Sunday, with support from Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad, Minister of Education. The forum, which will be attended by 110 education supervisors from throughout the region, is being organized by the Ministry of Education with the participation of the ministries of education in Gulf Arab countries and Yemen, with support from King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology and Saudi universities. “Organizing this conference has stemmed from the vision of King Abdullah in the advancement of nations and peoples by supporting modern science fields, in the forefront of which is nanotechnology,” Prince Faisal said. “The event will help realize the strategic vision of the Ministry of Education which is the institution concerned with preparing the young by educating and enlightening them.” The meeting will be an important step in advancing knowledge and education in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, he added. “The forum is considered to be one of the most important scientific knowledge programs through which we are striving to localize knowledge on nanotechnology in all its fields and to disseminate nanotechnology culture in education circles in the Kingdom and the Gulf Arab countries,” he said. The event will also provide information about nanotechnology and show how students use their scientific knowledge, Prince Faisal said. “It will shed light on this technology so as to spread it, benefit from its products and to highlight the splendid accomplishments of our ambitious boys and girls at all local and international levels,” he said. Dr. Abdul Rahman Bin Muhammad Al-Barrak, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, said the forum would strive to contribute to disseminating the culture of nanotechnology in education circles, at the level of general education; to introduce its applications in education programs and activities; and upgrade the efficiency of those supervising education programs and activities in the field. The forum will also strive to instill the principle of integration and cooperation between scientific and education institutions and develop school curricula, he added. Dr. Al-Barrak said 110 male and female supervisors from the GCC countries and Yemen in scientific specializations in universities and education authorities and institutions will participate.
