Abstract
We are living in a dynamic global world and our nation's prosperity depends critically on the knowledge, innovation and creativity skills generated by our educational systems. Creativity, innovation and quality systems are considered to be at the heart of successful strategies adopted by modern economies. In general terms they are meant for the creation and adoption of new knowledge to improve the value of products, processes and services delivered to customers. The present investigation has been carried out within a national research project funded by the Saudi ministry of education, with the major aim to enhance and develop creativity and innovation among Saudi students (schools and universities) and business leaders. In this paper we present an assessment of creativity and innovation at the educational system from the perspective of its customers, i.e the students. Based on the literature review a theoretical research framework was developed and a survey questionnaire was designed for the purpose. Respondents were selected among Saudi gifted students who participated in the national competition on giftedness 2015 run by the ministry of education in the region of Hail, north the kingdom. The survey instrument measures the students' personal perceptions on creativity and innovation, their educational environments and programs, the management support, and the future prospects the university would offer to them. The study aims to identify practical recommendations towards the adoption of new strategies to enhance creativity and innovation among Saudi students.