Emirati schoolboy is so smart, he gets his own curriculum
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015 10:32 AM

Many gifted children end up bored at school because the work is not challenging enough and teachers aren't sure how to help. Gifted students can take more advanced classes or even attend magnet schools in order to find a program that truly tests them. One schoolboy did that, but still lacked the challenge he needed to continue learning. Adeeb Al Balushi, of the United Arab Emirates, has an IQ that far exceeds that of his peers. In fact, the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and the Global Center for Gifted and Talented Children (GCGTC) worked together to create a new curriculum meant to hone the boy genius's potential. 

Inventing his way to the top
?This isn't the first time Adeeb is getting attention for his intellect. According to The National, when he was 6 years old, Adeeb participated in a contest for schoolchildren in which he had to devise an invention. He had to submit examples of his achievements in the realms of academia and the community. What's more, participants had to maintain a 90 percent or greater in all their school classes.

Throughout his lifetime, Adeeb has gained accolades from Jordan's Jubilee Centre for Excellence in Education and won the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance. He has made prosthetics and robots and dreams of one day becoming a scientist.

"I will become big and then I will know what kind of scientist I want to be," Adeeb told the source. "I want to build wheelchairs, but now I have to build a house for my cat first."

Too smart for school
As of January 2015, Adeeb is 9 years old and still has big plans for the future. But first, he has to finish school. An IQ test revealed that the young inventor had a higher IQ than his peers, and educators wanted to ensure he received the education he needed. That's when EIAST and GCGTC teamed up. Roya Klingner, the founder and leader of GCGTC, traveled to Dubai to meet with Adeeb, his family and his school.

"Adeeb is a very creative and gifted boy with high social skills and leadership potential ... As a result my center is going to create a curriculum tailored to his specific needs, potential and creativity," Klinger told Thomson Reuters Zawya. "In my talks with his school and parents, I recommended several activities, in cooperation with EIAST, to strengthen him for his special role in society. With my experience and knowledge I will do my best for Adeeb Al Balushi, the young inventor and gifted boy from Dubai."