The concept of arts education developed from mere implementation of artistic works and acquiring of skills to a comprehensive education for the pupil that possesses him with vast experiences and at the same time could furnish him with all forseeable basics of full character development.

The pupil through educational activities and art study can develop his potentialities for research, shouldering of responsibility as well as his growth mentally, sensually and morally. This comprehensive new outlook affirms that art study through education is a means and not an end. It is a means for building up of the fully grown citizen who is able to exercise life through the style and initiative of the artist who can adapt himself to the fast changes around.

We have realised through witnessing children drawings the symbols by which they express themselves and reflect their reactions, thoughts, impressions and distinguish their styles from those of elders expressing themselves in the language of plastic arts. In childhood this embodies high values of abstract arts. Some of these values are acquired spontaneously in planning stage at the age of 2 to 5 years approximately others are aimed at for the same abstract values -when the child in his blank paper draws lines, areas, colours, and figures that have no indications in nature. In fact, the child is aiming at order and comprehending the abstract beauty combinations as a necessary exercise for feeling the architectural aspects of an artistic work; such exercises help to sharpen the child senses. The child treats his lines and figures in the way a musician composes his rhythms and melodies.

The judgement on these artistic works should have no bearing on its relation with nature,. nor the exposition of the expressive sides that a child or an artist usually tries to convey to the audience when he speaks about pain or joy or tragedy and all other problems in life.

Certain features in our world have usually known visual indications in our minds. They are the direct effect of our environment and climate whether they be desert, marine or agricultural. Each of these different environments has its own different composing factors, giving each its own logic that demands a different combination of line, area and colour. These combinations well harmonically balanced plays directly on the artistic strings of man. It is this logic that creates the artistic language known to artists and critics.

A person trained in this artistic language will tie the young with a thread of high values. The pupil himself will discover the ties between these works and some practical objects in life. A pupil who finds difficulty in making drawings having visual indications will find a chance to initiate, for he will compose out of lines, figures and colours values not depending on visual memory, but on his ability to compose and balance things.

The designs used in the stamps of this issue were selected out of the children paintings participated in the competition organised by the Ministry of Education together with those of the Child Cultural Festival made under the guidance of Sharjah Cultural and Information Department