Abu Dhabi: A law that puts in place a legislative and executive framework to consolidate reading in society was issued today by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday.
The law obliges the government to intervene early by providing a “Knowledge Briefcase” to newborns. It also gives an employee the right to do specialised reading within their working hours.
On Twitter, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, described the law as an unprecedented cultural and legislative initiative.
هدفنا أن يكون عام 2016 هو بداية لتغيير ثقافي وحضاري مستدام بين أجيالنا.. تغيير يرسخ قيمة الكتاب ويمجد العلم والمعرفة ويُعلي شأن القراءة pic.twitter.com/82phCa8X3d
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 31, 2016
Revealing details of the law on his Twitter account, Shaikh Mohammad tweeted: “Reading material will be exempted from any fees or taxes for the purposes of distribution, publishing and printing. The law offers support for the publishing sector, and also provides facilities for authors and editors.
“The law consolidates the cultural image of books in our society, and obliges coffee shops in shopping malls to offer reading material for its customers. The law will encourage the private sector to invest in the establishment of libraries and cultural centres. This will be done by providing the private sector with facilities, incentives and discounts,” tweeted Shaikh Mohammad.
Shaikh Mohammad also revealed that the reading law also sets up a national fund for supporting reading initiatives and obliges media organisations to allocate programme slots that encouraging reading.
“Our goal is for 2016 to be the beginning of a sustainable cultural change among generations; a change that consolidates the importance of reading and celebrates knowledge and boosts the status of reading,” tweeted Shaikh Mohammad.
