I came across a report in a local Arabic newspaper about a talented 10-year old Bahraini student, Sarah Sayed Abbas, who won first place in a pan-Arab story-writing competition held under the patronage of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters.
This piece of news should not go unnoticed because this brilliant child outperformed her peers from Jordan, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Yemen.
This is not only an achievement for Sarah but also for Bahrain because she competed against those from nations considered far superior culturally and much “older” in their history.
I appeal to the authorities to recognise this exceptional talent in a fair manner, because she is a Bahraini who persevered and worked hard to raise the status of our beloved land.
The Ministry of Information has an important role to play in highlighting this achievement in the media through its various channels, associations and centres that look after the development of children.
The Ministry of Education, too, has an important role to play in discovering and embracing these talented students in various fields. As I understand, the ministry has a talent centre in Muharraq, which should be activated.
Honestly, we in Bahrain lack the patriotic sense that requires us to respect and accept such accomplishments. It does not matter who the talent is, and from which family or sect he or she comes from – the only yardstick is that he or she is a Bahraini.
We need an effective, serious, and specialised official body that recognises such talents in various fields. They are a wealth that must be exploited properly and scientifically to benefit everyone.
I am confident that we have many more talented youngsters in our homeland but lack a mechanism to discover and nurture them.
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