When I was 14, my Arabic language teacher, who was an exceptional educator, convinced me to participate in the short story contest. I used to love this type of literature and love to read always, so I wrote on both sides of a paper I tore from a booklet. The paper had on its cover the picture of Kuwait Amir, the father of its constitution, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem (May Allah bestow His mercy on him). My handwriting was not good, and if it were not for the lines on the paper, my writing would have gone up and down.

I went to submit my paper, only to see a student from another class presenting a beautiful colored file for the same contest. His handwriting was beautiful and tidy. I almost went back with my paper. The results were announced two weeks later, and my story won the first position. The story of my friend, which had the beautiful writings, took the third place. That was the most important lesson for me. His family cared about teaching him good handwriting and helped him in beautifying his project, and he won despite his lack of literary talent.

Today, while I remember the outstanding students, I remember that most of them used to come to school well groomed, wearing well-pressed clothes and shiny shoes. Some of them did not have the intelligence that made them stand out, but they looked nice and decent. Many intelligent students did not find a caring family, so they became miserable and did not care about their looks. They have a negative impression, and their grades dropped.

It is this educational issue that we understood later in our practical lives. Many leaders do not have leadership qualities, and these contributed to their failures. How do we train better teachers and students? And how do we convince our leaders to search for true talents who will run the country regardless of their family connections or the money in their bank accounts? Successful countries hunt for the best brains, while failed states hunt for pockets and physical appearances.

The current generation glorifies the brands they wear, where they reside, their origins, and their relations. These generate the slope of backwardness. We don’t need a nation that will be run by the weakest brains and the least talented people. We hope that the good news in our new homeland will continue and that teachers will contribute their quota in training and bringing out the best from their students.

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