The Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), the key educational partner behind Iftah Ya Simsim, the fun learning initiative, announced that the Arab world’s creativepioneering television series that targets the educational needs of children aged 4 to 6, is set to be unveiled across the region as of September 1st 2015. The launch is scheduled to take place during an official ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Iftah Ya Simsim, is an Arabic adaptation of Sesame Street, andwas produced by Bidaya Media, the children’s education content development company based in Abu Dhabi.
According to Ali Al Karni, Director General of ABEGS, concerted efforts amongst governmental educational organizations and state media have led to unprecedented partnerships between the ministries of education, the media and satellite channels representing the private sector, to broadcast high-quality educational media content in Arabic to enrich the knowledge of children in GCC States. The program will avail social media platforms and a wide array of educational tools, in print and online, as well as interactive activities and events with the audience in public places.
Al Karni added that TV channels will be reaching out to children with fun yet educational content, driven by their farsightedness to create a new generation of children through this partnership, which is based on concerted efforts.
Adding further, Al Karni noted that the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) has contributed to developing the Sesame content Workshop, with the aim of authoring the “Statement of Educational Objectives” for this production and the content review process, which will further continue throughout the next stages of production.
Media representative for Iftah Ya Simsim in Saudi Arabia, Firas Adel Maddah, said that ‘meet and greet’ activities and educational events will be held in various shopping centers across KSA, to allow children to meet their favorite characters. The activities will also include a live theatre edutainment show that will take place in January, in all major cities across GCC States.
Bidaya Media, the children’s education content development company that has been established specifically to produce the new Iftah Ya Simsim has been the driving force behind the push for such change. Commenting on the initiative, Managing Director Dr. Cairo Arafat concluded, “Iftah Ya Simsim isn’t just a children’s show. It is the driving force of a larger educational plan that transcends the physical boundaries to develop a genuine interest in learning among children, and to encourage Arab children in the region to actively pursue the learning of their own mother-tongue.”