Rainbow Group visits Presidential advisor [Archives:2005/824/Community]

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March 14 2005

By Dr Ayid Sharyan and
The Rainbow Group
For the Yemen Times

Saba University students (Rainbow Group) hold many extracurricular activities: debates, trips, and cultural visits. One of their activities is a visit to Professor Abdullazeez Al Maqaleh, the academic adviser of the President of the Republic. The aim of the visit is to know and interact with the giant national figure (Professor Al-Maqaleh) and listen to him talking about his experience in politics and education. The visit was to the cultural center where Prof Al-Maqaleh spends most of his time. The Rainbow Group requested Prof Al-Maqaleh to talk about himself and his background.

They come to know from Prof Al-Maqaleh mnay things about the past. Al-Maqaleh is a major modern poet in Yemen. He was born in a small village in Ibb district, Wadi Bana. He is from a simple family and he was the only child of his mother. He started his education at the age of six years. At first he was studying Quran at a small place called Al Kutab (a form of religious schooling). Then he was sent to Sana'a to study. The educational system (very primitive) then includes very few schools that teach elementary and intermediate stages. The high secondary schooling was not available. An equivalent to that is the Scientific School at Hajja where Prof Al-Maqaleh used to go to finish his education. (It was more than the University now.) Al-Maqaleh's father was taken to prison twice. Once before his birth and the other time is after Al-Maqaleh's birth; so he did not see him until the age of 12. He was proud of his grandmother because she was the one who protected him and encouraged him to read and memorize poetry by giving him rewards. He dreamed to be an author since the age of 9. This is what makes him dissatisfied after finishing Scientific School. He went to Egypt to achieve his dream. Nowadays he is a well-known writer, not only in Yemen or the region but worldwide.

The visit was illuminating to the group. They come to know about Prof Al-Maqaleh and about the cultural center. They were taken in a tour around the center to see the treasures of books that were available in the center.
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