Manama: A pro-reading campaign launched by Qatar aims to nurture a book-loving culture from an early age, whilst activating a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, campaigners have said.
Championed by Shaikha Hind Bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, the National Reading Campaign says the emphasis will be on the role of parents in shaping their children’s future.
“As a child’s first teacher, parents play a crucial role in their childhood development,” Shaikha Hind said. “In addition to shaping how they view and interact with the world around them, parents are responsible for laying the building blocks for learning, curiosity, behaviour and well-being. Reading aloud to children strengthens bonds, creates invaluable memories and reinforces family ties.”
The year-long campaign should empower and support families in Qatar and offer the necessary guidance and support to help them inspire and share a passionate love for reading.
It also empowers parents and educators by providing them with the support they need to adopt best practices that will inspire children to read, while cultivating self-learning and curiosity.
“The National Reading Campaign serves as a platform which aims to encourage local entities to work collectively, under one umbrella, to achieve a shared goal. We, along with our partners and stakeholders, are dedicated to empowering the next generation to reach their full potential, so they can grow up to be active citizens and inspirational leaders. And, we believe, this begins with a passionate commitment to early development,” Shaikha Hind said.
Apart from raising awareness about the importance of reading, the campaign also wants to show the community that reading does not have to be purely academic and that it can be both fun and captivating.
An integral part of the campaign is also to make books more easily accessible.
Qatar Foundation, along with its partners, which include the Qatar National Library, Qatar Museums, Childhood Cultural Centre, Maktaba, Khair Jalees, and Al Faisal Social Responsibility Centre, is working to identify engaging Arabic books for children. The books will be made readily available in libraries and bookstores across the country, providing access to culturally relevant content which helps to reinforce linguistic traditions.
“One of the most important aspects of the National Reading Campaign is improving accessibility to relevant reading material, and this includes Arabic content,” Fahd Sa’ad Al Qahtani, President of Community Development, QF, said. “At present, most Arabic literature for children is translated from other languages, meaning the existing content and characters are not always relatable to children in this region. To address this challenge, the campaign is working to devise a home-grown approach, curating and identifying relevant age appropriate Arabic content.”
Parents and educators are being encouraged to play an active role in their children’s early development through helping families create an environment conducive to parent-child bonding and learning.
“Since I work full-time, I am only able to spend time with my daughters on the weekends,” Abdul Azim Al Ali, who participated in a series of National Reading Campaign activities with his children, said. “I am grateful for the opportunity provided by the National Reading Campaign that enables me to spend time with my daughters and see them learn and grow while giving me an insight into their interests and the kind of books they enjoy reading.”
