Mohamed Imran of Al-Abeer Medical Group presents results of the contest to school principals during a function attended by Mohammed Ashraf and other senior MES officials on Monday.

The talent hunt program conducted by the Muslim Educational Society (MES) in association with Al-Abeer Educity among Indian school students in the Western Region has won the applause of parents and teachers because of its role in developing the skills and confidence of participants.

“Twenty-one outstanding students representing six international schools reached the final stage after a grueling semifinal round of elocution competition that was held at the International Indian School-Jeddah (IISJ),” said Mohamed Ashraf, president of the Jeddah chapter of MES.

The competition targets both boys and girls from Grade IX to XII.

More than 5,000 students from 11 international Indian schools took part in an essay competition in the first phase of the program.

Syed Masood Ahmed, principal of IISJ, commended MES and Al-Abeer for organizing the program.

“Efforts should be made to ensure greater participation of students in future programs,” he said, adding that such programs will help kids develop their communication skills, give them good public exposure, remove their stage fear and enhance their ability to interact with people,” Ahmed told Arab News.

“Out of the 5,300 entries in the preliminary round, 431 top essayists were selected based on the marks scored,” Ashraf told Arab News.

An independent panel of judges further scrutinized the essays to select 80 candidates to take part in the semifinal round.

The grand finale will be held during November in the presence of dignitaries to honor the winners.

“It was a humble effort on the part of Jeddah MES to provide the students with a wider platform to display their skills,” Ashraf said, adding that the response was overwhelming.

Alungal Mohammed, CMD of Al-Abeer Group, said his organization was extremely happy to associate with MES in organizing the program to promote the cause of education among the Indian student community.