There are statistics that place the percentage of talented people in the Kingdom at 2 to 3 percent of the entire population. By talented I mean people who are creative, innovative and play an important role in the Kingdom's development.
The Kingdom needs talented people in all fields, particularly scientists and inventors. We are more in need of these two categories of people than we are of poets and authors. That does not mean we do not need the latter group but we should, in future, focus on people who are experts in science and technology.
We have many talented poets and authors, but only limited numbers of talented mathematicians and scientists. It appears that the reason behind this small number is our curriculum, which does not keep up with modern developments. Moreover, the curriculum does not give students a chance to interact and apply what they have studied. In other words, there is no proper environment to put what they study into action. A proper environment helps talented scientists around the world invent, innovate and unleash their innate creativity and intelligence. This includes Muslim scientists such as Al-Biruni, Avicenna, Jaber Ibn Hayyan, Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham, etc. and Western scientists such as Thomas Addison. These individuals prove that one's talent can be developed and unleashed in a good environment.
When George Stephenson built the first steam engine, he immediately worked on finding a way to make the locomotive move on land and so came up with the idea of building railways. He dedicated his life to improving his talents and being more creative. In fact, creativity and talent need a fertile ground in order to be nurtured. There is no need to stick to what the curriculum says; it is instead all about thinking outside the box.
We need schools and universities that give students a better opportunity to set their creativity and talents free. If a student proves to be talented, then it is incumbent on all government agencies, not only the Ministry of Education, to help him unleash his creativity. If we do not have talented students in the fields of science and technology, we should stop and ask ourselves why. The private sector should be the first to give moral and financial support to talented people because it will benefit immensely from scientists and inventors.
We are living in the era of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, an era that encourages creative and talented people. Will we see more people of this ilk in all fields?
