Investment in human resources is the most important investment. Investing in manpower and talent can be used as a gauge for the progress of nations.
The human being is the main element in any economic, social, educational, cultural or political activity; therefore, all nations seek to build the capacities of their individuals and society. The level of economic development they achieve is in accordance with the qualifications of their people.
It is worth mentioning that the Second World War was a turning point in all fields, including the educational field. It increased the interest of parents in the process of education in schools. Perhaps the most prominent result of this interest was the foundation of the American Association for Talented Children in 1947.
The Russian space foray in 1957 is considered the spark that provoked the Americans and convinced them that Russia’s technological progress had not come out of a vacuum. Rather it was the result of the efficiency of their talented people, the effectiveness of their education system, and the way they nurtured talented individuals. Perhaps this and other factors made the Americans expand their education system to include the best educational programmes to train talented people and foster them as they represented the hope of the United States of America.
The scientific excellence of the advanced industrial countries was and still is the product of talented minds, and the knowledge of gifted individuals who have been sponsored and nurtured in their areas of interest during the early years of their school life.
On the other hand educational institutions in Arab countries still do not pay much attention to talented individuals. There is lack of coordination and integration between different educational systems and higher educational institutions and the authorities.
Individual efforts and initiatives to foster talented individuals lack a plan and organised efforts to mobilise the required human and financial resources to realise effective programmes.
The basic education stage is the most important and effective stage of education as a preparatory stage for children. Therefore, private and government foundations should sponsor talented children to nurture their talent and develop their capacities so that they can face challenges, whether educational, social or financial.
The eight intelligence indicators should be taken into considerations as well, not just the intelligence quotient, because IQ is just an indicator of intelligence. Tests that identify the type of intelligence, not only its quotient, should be prepared and used. Strategies that rely on using high capacities of thinking should also not be overlooked.
As for challenges at the state level, there is a need for adopting a national strategy and policies on caring for talented and outstanding children and youth and making them a part of the educational policy and education system. This could be done through exploring existing capacities, innovation initiatives, creating an integrated database, establishment of special schools for talented and outstanding students and paving the way for such initiatives with the necessary legislation.
We should also take advantage of the experiences of other countries in nurturing talent. Tools for identifying and developing talented students in Qatar environment should be used, and so should be curriculums that meet the needs of children of varying intelligence, and extra-curricular activities for outstanding children.
Other essential things for this are conducting research based on observation of talent and innovations in universities and research academies, and preparing and implementing programmes that raise the awareness of parents, teachers and the society on sponsoring and taking care of the talented.
Finally, I can say, Japan is a nation of 120 million outstanding people. By looking at the Japanese experience in sponsoring programmes for the talented, it is not surprising to see their excellence in productivity, creativity, administration and industry. This is because of adopting a clear strategy that includes developing the abilities and skills of outstanding children even before they join school, as the Japanese society sees every child as potentially talented or outstanding.
Of course, there is awareness and cooperation between parents and teachers in developing skills that lead to innovation and all of these are significant elements in the process of education and scientific raising of children, according to the Japanese experience.
The question is, when will we be able to say: “Our Qatari experience in sponsoring the talented?”
