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DUBAI / WAM
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, reviewed participation figures in the 8th Arab Reading Challenge 2024, which saw record participation with over 28 million students. Participation in this year’s edition has seen a 13.7% increased compared to last year’s figures, when 24.8 million students competed in the challenge. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said, “Today, I have reviewed the figures for participation in the 8th Arab Reading Challenge, the world’s largest project to promote reading among students. 229,000 schools from 50 countries are taking part in this year’s challenge, with 28 million students, supervised by 154,000 supervisors.”
“We believe reading is a life changer… We believe it can create generations that are different… and will open wide the doors to knowledge and civilisation. We thank all participating countries and wish millions of students a wonderful life with reading,” His Highness added.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said, “The Arab Reading Challenge initiative reflects the visions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
for a comprehensive Arab knowledge renaissance through reading, through promoting the status of the Arabic language, and by being open to the cultures of the world.”
“The constant increase in participation numbers is clear evidence the initiative has succeeded in reaching all students across the Arab world as well as Arab communities abroad. At the same time, we notice that in 8 years, the challenge has exceeded all expectations in terms of participation or its community impact, as it continues to instill a love of reading and knowledge among the new generation,” he added. Organised under the umbrella of MBRGI, the 8th Arab Reading Challenge kicked off the final country-level qualifying rounds with over 28 million students from 50 countries, representing 229,620 schools with the help of 154,643 supervisors. Country-level reading champions are announced by the end of these rounds, and move on to compete against each other for the Arab Reading Challenge Champion.
Students need to read and summarise the content of 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 outstanding schools on the country level are selected based on rigorous criteria that closely evaluates all aspects of the participation. Specialised committees work closely with the Arab Reading Challenge committees to select winners at the education zone and governate levels. The top 10 reading champions and a Champion from each country are selected, and they then move to the final qualifying stage to win the Arab Reading Challenge title. The winner of the Arab Reading Champion title receives an award of AED500,000 to continue their journey of knowledge, broaden their horizons, and advance their experiences. AED 1 million is presented to the outstanding school, helping improve its capabilities to invest in further driving the practice of reading as a daily habit. Another AED300,000 award is presented to the outstanding supervisor so they can continue to inspire and mentor future generations. The reading champion selected at the community champions will be awarded AED100,000. This category is open to Arabs living abroad and non-Arabs learning the Arabic language.
The Arab Reading Challenge, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid as the world’s largest reading and literacy project, promotes reading and helps students develop their Arabic comprehension and expression skills. The challenge also aims to spark passion for knowledge and foster the habit of reading among the young generation to broaden horizons and boost critical, analytical, and creative skills. By exposing them to the values and beliefs of other cultures, the challenge helps instill the foundations for tolerance, coexistence and cultural dialogue. Year after year, the Arab Reading Challenge continues to attract larger numbers of students. The first edition in 2015 saw the participation of 3.6 million students from 19 countries, while the 7th edition in 2023 attracted 24.8 million students from 46 countries, and the title was awarded to both Abdullah Mohammad Abdullah Al Berri from Qatar and Amnah Mohammad Al Mansoori from the UAE.