The Future Of The UAE Nation Is Secure In The Hands Of Youth Embracing Knowledge And Reading
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, expressed pride in the participation of 810,000 students from UAE schools in the 9th Arab Reading Challenge. He congratulated Reem Adel Ahmed Al Zarouni from Al Ittihad National Private School in Abu Dhabi for winning the UAE-level champion title, praising her achievement and wishing her continued success.
During a ceremony at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Mariam Adel Ahmad Al Zarouni was crowned as the UAE-level Arab Reading Challenge Champion. This event marked the end of UAE-level qualifiers and was organised by the Ministry of Education with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI). H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the ceremony.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed highlighted that crowning the UAE-level champion reflects the nation's investment in its youth. He stated that this achievement results from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's visionary initiative, fostering a generation that embraces reading for excellence and innovation.
Reem Al Zarouni's victory came after she read 300 books and demonstrated remarkable comprehension. Her performance surpassed over 800,000 other students. "The future of our nation is secure in the hands of a generation that embraces knowledge and reading," shared His Highness Sheikh Mohammed on X.
The ceremony also honoured top students and supervisors. Zahra Hamad Ibrahim from Dubai received the Outstanding Supervisor award, while Atika Bint Zaid School - Cycle 1 (Sharjah) won Best School Award. In the People of Determination category, Abdullah Ahmad Rashid Abdullah Al Dhanhani secured first place among three finalists.
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, emphasised that the Arab Reading Challenge embodies UAE's vision to foster knowledge among youth. She noted its global reach as a leading international initiative promoting reading as a sustainable practice for students.
A Growing Initiative
The ninth edition saw unprecedented student participation from public and private schools across the UAE. This growth since its launch highlights its profound impact on engaging students annually. The challenge involves multiple elimination rounds culminating in selecting champions who have read and summarised 50 books.
The competition progresses through classroom to national levels, ultimately selecting champions from participating countries worldwide. Participants in the People of Determination category are required to read 25 books.
Global Participation
The Arab Reading Challenge has consistently seen strong participation from the UAE. Notably, Amna Mohammed Al Mansouri won in 2023's seventh edition with 24.8 million students from 46 countries participating. The eighth edition involved over 28 million students from 50 countries.
The ninth edition achieved record participation with over 32 million students from more than 132,000 schools across 50 countries guided by over 161,000 supervisors. Launched in 2015-2016 under His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's direction, it aims to promote reading globally among students.
Cultivating a Reading Culture
This initiative seeks to cultivate a vibrant Arabic reading culture by emphasising language capacity for all forms of knowledge and encouraging daily use among youth. It empowers students with knowledge to build brighter futures while refining skills and character through understanding other cultures and embracing tolerance values.
With inputs from WAM
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