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Aren't we inspired that there is another genius in our midst?

At 13 years of age, Muhammad Haikal Abdulllah Zain scored A star for his 'O' Level Physics, Chemistry and Biology that he sat for last year in the International General Certficate in Secondary Education (IGCSE). This gifted education programme boy from Rosyth Primary School and NUS High School of Mathematics and Science has applied to the National University of Singapore to read medicine. He also sat for the 'A' level Maths paper and got an A.

For his PSLE, he scored 274 points out of 300 in the Primary School Leaving Examination. Now it seems that Haikal's younger brother may just follow his footsteps. Muhammad Farhan who is now a primary 6 pupil at Rosyth and similarly a Maths Olympiad like his elder brother, also scored three A stars and one A in the IGCSE exams last year. Now why would he need to take his PSLE this year anyway?

Born to housewife mother, Salha Abdat, 39, and a director of an engineering company father Abdullah Zain, 40, we do not know much else about this family though I sense that his dad is someone familiar in the Malay business community. Now, aren't we all interested on what the parents did to create such geniuses in their children? I hope Berita Harian, Suria and other oganisations will do something - a report, a tv programme, a radio talkshow, a community outreach seminar, a workshop - so as to create this education ripples or revolution in the community. It's too good to miss, and I can only suspect that it has to do with GD and many other strategies. For one, Haikal's interests include chess and computer programming. He also holds a Grade 8 certificate in violin and practises taekwondo, most of which are very pro-GD traits.

Since 'parents' is part of the equation for our children's academic performance, I'm sure we are interested to know what Madam Salha and Mr Abdullah Zain did right in their children's education department. Also, according to the report, Haikal was inspired by Ainan Cawley's ability in scoring a C for Chemistry at 7 years of age, that he felt he can also sit for the exams and get As. Now, that's what "idols" are for. If one boy (Haikal) is inspired by another (Ainan), we need more publicity for all the "idols" in our community, don't we? According to Dr. Abdallah Al Amiri, advisor to the Minister of Education and Head of the Forum, the ministry has chosen a as a central theme: 'connecting learners to communities' for this year's forum. The three day forum is organized in coordination with Fairs and Exhibitions (F&E).

Moreover, Dr. Abdallah Al Amiri stated that the forum and the exhibition represented one of the most important pedagogic and educational regional events in the Middle East and believes that the success of the previous two sessions was in part due to the fact that the UAE has become a main attraction for educationalists and international educational institutions. Furthermore the UAE has emerged in recent years as an educational hub for educational dialogue and investment both for private and public educational sectors.

GEF aims to spread excellence within the academic community and help to upgrade educational services in line with the highest international standards. Accomplishing such goal is directly related to the comprehensive development of teaching methods, technology solutions and engaging students. The forum aims to address these issues, as well as the latest trends emerging from the global educational scene.

Both GEF and GESS (Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions) constitute a crucial window for leading educationalists in the region, to share mutual experience, visions and ideas and become acquainted with new developments in the educational solutions sector. The forum focuses on three main areas: use of technology in the school of the future; the role of technology in the educational process and technology for pre school education.

"GEF is the heart of GESS and is the main regional platform for educational discussion, sharing knowledge, skills and experiences that form a valuable source of information for teachers. Unlike other events, GEF uniquely addresses educational needs of the region and how best to meet those needs both today and in the future,"

says Rona Greenhill, GEF organizer, F& E.

GEF is a comprehensive forum consolidated by a range of plenary sessions and workshops aimed at finding regional educational solutions. The forum includes prominent academic themes such as technology mainstreaming, establishing futuristic schools, special educational requirements, including teaching for gifted children as well as the latest educational innovations such as "virtual environment.

Sue Rothwell, Group Event Director, F&E, concludes "gathering worldwide leading educationalists to discuss the future of education will undoubtedly make this forum a must-attend event for educational and pedagogic specialists. Last year's session attracted a large audience and we expect increased interest for this year's event".