Abu Dhabi: The National Policy for Reading launched on Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has drawn unanimous praise for the transformative vision it has set out through the promotion of the reading habit within UAE society.

The ten-year national reading strategy, backed by a Dh100-million fund, aims to integrate the reading habit in the UAE’s core national values and identity.

President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has given directions to start the legislative procedure of drafting a UAE National Reading Law, which aims to ensure the sustainability of all government efforts to promote reading among people of all ages and to identify the key responsibilities of government agencies in this respect.

Responding to the initiative, Emirati writer and novelist Ali Abu Alreesh, who received an Appreciation State Award for his literary contributions, reiterated the importance of acquiring knowledge and its intrinsic relationship to reading.

“Through knowledge and reading, civilisations were built. The acquisition of knowledge and science won’t develop in our societies without the progression that basically starts with reading,” Alreesh, whose works have been translated into many languages, said.

“The Islamic religion began with one word ‘Iqra’, which in Arabic means “read”, which was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad [Peace Be Upon Him],” he said.

The UAE, he said, cares about reading and is promoting it through leadership programmes established by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “The President’s initiative was to make 2016 as the Year of Reading,” Alreesh added.

The policy, among many other objectives, also seeks to strengthen the language abilities of students, especially the younger lot, establish reading as an essential part of the educational system, look into the rehabilitation of teaching staff, and to nurture the passion for reading in students and support learning.

“The setting up a Dh100 million fund to support the implementation of this vision is an important step and a strong beginning to achieve this national goal,” Abu Alreesh said.

Habib Al Sayegh, chairman of the UAE Writers Association and Secretary General of the Arab Writers Association, also welcomed the initiative. Reading, he said, plays a major role in nurturing civilisation.

“The UAE is the first country in the world to have launched such a vital project. We in the UAE believe in an economy that is built on knowledge, which is the basis for progress and economic growth. [Knowledge] is one of the most important elements of improvement and economic development,” Al Sayegh said.

“Reading has built civilisations and nations,” he observed.

Al Sayegh said an important aspect in the implementation of the National Policy for Reading is the attention paid to “future generations, because they will build the society”.

He added that “the Dh100 million fund for the implementation is a testament to the seriousness of this leadership programme.”

Al Sayegh thanked ministries and government agencies that contributed to the project. “The most important aim of the project is to create a generation of readers that strive for knowledge and reading. This programme aims to consolidate the reading culture among students, and the establishment of an innovative school plan that links the curriculum with after-school activities, alongside the development of school libraries, will help [them] reach a higher standard.”

(Aseel Lulu is a trainee with Gulf News)