KUWAIT — Saudi students won nine gold and silver awards in School Theater, Arabic Calligraphy, and Plastic Arts competitions at the Gulf Arts Festival for general education students. The Arab Education Bureau for the Gulf States hosts this festival to emphasize the role of arts and activities in educational and social upbringing and their role in developing the personalities of students. Students chosen by the Ministry of Education were awarded first place as the best group performance in the theater performance competition. Adel Al-Shuhaib, Abdul Rahman Al-Qurashi, Yasser Al-Thubaiti, Mohammed Al-Harthi, and Khaled Al-Hussaini performed a theater performance called "Umbrella," which received the admiration of all, while the student Al-Hussaini won the award for the best diverse acting voice performance. Hamad Abadi won first place in the fine art photography competition, Mohammed Al-Bahrani won first place in the Naskh calligraphy competition, and Mayar Sharifi won first place in the drawing competition. Students from Saudi Arabia also got second place in the Diwani and Naskh calligraphy competitions, third place in the secondary Diwani competition, and seventh and ninth place in the fine-art photography competition. It is worth mentioning that the Gulf Arts Festival for general education students was launched in the State of Kuwait last Tuesday with competitions for School Theater, Arabic Calligraphy, and Plastic arts, in which students of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries compete. — SG