CBSE principals' conference kicks off in Jeddah Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak underscored the need for changing the education model to achieve sustainable development and reaching its benefits to the ordinary people. Inaugurating the 25th annual session of the Saudi Arabian chapter of the schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at the Boys' Section auditorium of International Indian School-Jeddah (IISJ) here on Saturday, Mubarak, the chief guest, urged the academics to focus on an education model that also fosters peaceful co-existence and development. Principals from 40 schools from all around the Kingdom are attending the three-day event with the theme of "Education for peace and development." Mubarak's speech was a clarion call for joint efforts to preserve the depleting natural resources due to the onslaught of "greedy capitalists". "We should stand up to preserve our natural resources like water and forest as well as our environment. Greedy capitalists destroy environment and natural resources for their own profit. Big companies cut costs for preventing pollution with the sole motive of earning more profits," Mubarak said citing several examples for this. "Bringing technology more accessible to the ordinary people is indispensable for both peace and development in society. There is no use of any discovery if it is not helpful and affordable to the ordinary people." In his speech, Mohammed Raghib Qureshi, head of chancery and consul (education), said the theme of the conference is highly thought provoking and the need of the hour. "The world peace has been shattered and one third of the global population is living in conflict zones. So it is the duty and responsibility of all to maintain and promote peace." Qureshi, the guest of honor, urged the educationists to inculcate moral values and loyalty to enable the children grow up as responsible global citizens and help in maintaining and promoting world peace. "Peace and development are interlinked and there is no development without peace and vice versa. Educationists have to disseminate the message of peace to consolidate it in society." He also urged the academics to focus on making students proficient in the art of communication in the digital world that shrank the world into a village. "Students are no longer confined to a particular school, or village or city but rather to all parts of the global village. A student can have connectivity and communicate with anybody in any part of the world," he noted. Dr. S.M. Shaukat Perwez, convener of Saudi Arabian Chapter of CBSE schools and principal of International Indian School-Riyadh, and Mohammed Raziq Abdul Wahid, chairman of the managing committee of IISJ, were the other speakers at the opening session. Perwez said the conference will discuss a host of academic issues and the feedback of the deliberations will be taken to the CBSE authorities for their review and implementation. He also highlighted the role of teachers in grooming the younger generation as resourceful citizens. He ruled out the notion that population growth is hampering development and progress. "God has arranged the leaves of trees in a very beautiful manner and every single leaf gets sunrays at some moment in the day time and otherwise it would die. The growth in population is like more leaves in a tree that will release more oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide." Abdul Wahid hoped that the principals' conclave would come out with a uniform calendar for all schools. "I hope that the conference will have constructive discussions and come out with proposals useful for the betterment of schools and students. There should be continuous interaction between managing committees and the staff in further improving the academic performance," he said while calling for a mechanism to implement the decisions taken by the conference by all schools without exception. Earlier, Syed Masood Ahmed, principal of IISJ, welcomed the participants. He said the Saudi chapter, which was formed in 1990 with the participation of four schools, has grown 10 fold in all dimensions embracing all the changes that underwent in the education sector in a quarter of a century. "The schools have to shoulder the Herculean task of training children, taking into account the fact that society is the outcome of what is being taught in schools," he said while hoping that the conference would give principals guidance for their future discourse. The function started with the recitation of a few verses from Qur'an and its translation, followed by a welcome song. The program concluded with the singing of national anthem by IISJ students.
