Watch: UAE winner for 8th Arab Reading Challenge crowned
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid congratulates winners, says all participants made him proud
Dubai: Emirati student Ahmed Faisal Ali was crowned on Tuesday as the UAE winner of the 8th Arab Reading Challenge, the world’s largest project to promote reading among students.
A student of Zayed Education Complex in Al Barsha, Dubai, Ahmed outdid 700,000 participants in the national level competition of the largest ever literacy initiative in the Arab region.
Congratulating the winners and participants, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said in a post on X account that he was proud of the 700,000 students from the UAE who accepted the Arab Reading Challenge.
"Many of them finished reading 50 books during their school year, and congratulations to the winners today," he posted.
“I am optimistic about an Emirati generation that is proud of its identity, able to absorb the cultures of the world and continue building the future of the Emirates.”
Wheelchair user Sulaiman Al Khadeem became the winner in the category of People of Determination. Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, honoured the winners during the award ceremony held at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Minister Sarah said the Arab Reading Challenge initiative embodies the UAE’s message of culture and civilisation to the world. The initiative underscores the commitment of the UAE’s leadership to investing in future generations by empowering them through knowledge and enabling them to carry forward this region’s legacy of contributions that enriched human civilisation, she added.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Al Qasem, Director-General, Emirates Schools Establishment, awarded Asem Abbara, from Abu Dhabi, the title of 'Outstanding Supervisor' during the ceremony, and awarded Al Ebdaa Model School – Cycle 1 in Dubai with the 'Outstanding School' title.
The UAE-level winners will now move to the final qualifying stage to win the 8th Arab Reading Challenge title.
This year’s edition has seen record participation, with around 28.8 million students globally, a 13.7 per cent increase compared to last year’s 24.8 million students who competed in the challenge. The participating students hailed from 229,000 schools representing 50 countries from across the world.
The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in 2015 to encourage a million young people to read a minimum of 50 books in a year.
Organised under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the challenge requires participating students to read and summarise the content of at least 50 books to compete in the qualifying rounds that move up from the class and then school levels up to the country level.
Outstanding reading champions and outstanding schools on the country level are selected based on rigorous criteria that closely evaluate all aspects of the participation.