Kuwait City, Kuwait - February 22, 2012 - Dow Chemical in Kuwait sponsored the second Kuwait International Educators' Conference last month. In line with Dow's long-standing commitment to improving and furthering education, the purpose of the conference is to adopt a social responsibility towards students in Kuwait through supporting the latest in educational methods and learning strategies.

The conference registered attendance of 600 delegates from 25 English, Arabic and bilingual schools in Kuwait.  Presenters offered workshops and lectures of 4 hours duration that covered many subject areas and topics that are vital to the modern educator. Literacy, Understanding by Design, Classroom Management, Special Needs, Math Assessment and Strategies, Gifted and Talented Students, Inquiry Learning in Science, Emotional Intelligence, Dealing with Work Pressure and much more.  The conference also featured two keynote presentations simultaneously each day, one in Arabic and the other in English. Teachers worked very hard throughout this three day event to upgrade their skills, expand their knowledge and continue their life-long learning habits to be able to energize and motivate their students. 

"We believe that education is the fundamental enabler of innovation in today's knowledge economy, and we are committed to improving it.  Dow actively supports the social and economic aspirations of the Kuwaiti community, and will continue to partner on initiatives such as this one to develop the country's drive for growth. Dowadvocates empowerment via education and we are using our knowledge and expertise to educate new generations about sustainable solutions for tomorrow's world." said Jamel Attal, Managing Director, Dow Chemical in Kuwait.

Twenty-five presenters from Kuwait, the Middle East region and abroad, who specialize in various fields of education, were invited to present at the conference. Presenters at the event were of various organizations, including Kuwait Association for Learning Differences (KALD), Center for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET), Soor Center, the American University of Beirut, the Interactive Knowledge Center in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Buffalo State SUNY in the USA, Canada, and the UK. The conference was in part sponsored by a number of other companies and associations that also adopt social responsibility towards students in Kuwait through supporting the latest in educational methods and learning strategies. Among them were the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), The Sultan Center, Ali AbdulWahab& Sons, Al Dawliah Electronics, Hitachi and Wataniya Telecom.

Last year, Al Bayan School and Dow Chemical launched an educational program focused on sustainability, the importance of environmental conservation and recycling practices.  The objective of the program is to educate over 1,700 students on the importance of environmental responsibility, by partnering on various initiatives. As a part of the program, Dow supported the schools' paper and plastics Recycling Program, and established a vertical garden for more than 200 preschoolers.

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About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow in Kuwait
For 17 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures: EQUATE Petrochemical Company, MEGlobal, Equipolymers, EQUATE Marketing Company, The Kuwait Olefins Company (TKOC), and The Kuwait Styrene Company (TKSC). As the largest foreign investor, and the largest private employer of Kuwaiti nationals, through its JVs, in the petrochemicals industry in Kuwait, Dow has consistently promoted economic development and prosperity. Dow and PIC's joint ventures combine Dow's strong existing asset base, technology position and market presence. Dow's partnership with Kuwait's noted NGO, LoYAC is in line with Dow's commitment to the communities in which it operates. LoYAC is noted in Kuwait for its inspired, innovative youth education and activities program, such as Dow's sole partnership of the F1 Schools Challenge, support of LoYAC's award winning Drama Club and other youth developmental programs in Kuwait and abroad.

For further information on Dow:
Rosie Muhanna
Weber Shandwick
t +965.6621.6910
rosie.muhanna@ws-mena.com

© Press Release 2012