DUBAI - His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated winners of UAE qualifiers held for the 7th Arab Reading Challenge, who were crowned today during a major ceremony held at the Higher Colleges of Technology – Men’s College.

On his Twitter account, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: “Today, the UAE celebrates 514,000 students from schools across the country, who have participated in the Arab Reading Challenge – which has seen a total participation of 24.8 million students from around the world.

We are very proud of this year’s participants, hopeful for a new generation that loves reading, and reassured that our future will be in the hands of a generation passionate about learning and knowledge.

“My heartfelt congratulations to Amna Mohammad Al Mansoori and her parents, for winning the 1st place in the UAE challenge after reading 128 books during the academic year. Two years ago, Amna lost the ability to walk, but that did not stop her. She soldiered ahead and soiled across the vast ocean of knowledge and literature. The challenge was the beginning of a life-changing experience.

Today, Amna can walk once again, she has won the Reading Challenge and has authored two stories. In a few days, she will represent the UAE in the International Physics Olympiad in Tokyo. Amna’s challenge was to rebuild herself and regain control of her life. This is what we want for all UAE youth,” he added.

“We also extend our congratulations for Gharib Al Yamahi, who won the country Challenge title for the People of Determination category. Gharib is blind, but is familiar with great achievements. He has read 130 braille books, writes articles and is both an articulate speaker and outstanding student. When a blind person reads 130 books, those with healthy eyesight must look again at what they read.

We wish Gharib great success. His determination and willpower are living proof that in the UAE, nothing is impossible,” H.H. Sheikh Mohammed concluded.

Grade 11 student Amna Mohammad Al Mansoori won the Arab Reading Challenge Champion in the UAE, as country-level qualifiers for the 7th Arab Reading Challenge concluded in the UAE with the participation of 514,506 students from 921 schools, overseen by 1,578 supervisors.

Organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and launched in its first edition in the academic year 2015/2016 as the largest Arab initiative of its kind, the Arab Reading Challenge reflects the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his belief that “reading is the first step towards a better future driven by knowledge and learning.” The Challenge aims to highlight the importance of reading, develop comprehension and self-expression using correct Arabic language, and nurture creative thinking skills to help enrich Arabic content and cement the Arabic language’s standing as a language of thought, science, research and creativity that can play a role in cultural dialogue and openness.

Amna Mohammad Al Mansoori, from Aisha bint Abi Baker School in Abu Dhabi, was crowned during a major ceremony held at the Higher Colleges of Technology – Men’s College in the presence of Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools, as well as Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives alongside other officials and educators overseeing the Arab Reading Challenge.

The ceremony also included announcements of the Outstanding Supervisor Award, which was awarded to Noora Al Shehhi from Sharjah Educational Zone, and the Best School Award, awarded to Emirates National Schools of Al Ain Education Zone.

Three students out of the 190 people of determination taking part in this year’s Challenge moved up to the final round of country-level qualifiers. This category was crowned by Gharib Mohammad Al Yamahi, a grade 12 student from Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi Secondary School (Cycle 3) in Fujairah.

Strong Competition

The Top 10 list of which Amna Al Mansoori was selected also included Mohammad Eisa Al Hammadi (Grade 12, Al Adhwa Private School, Al Ain), Eman Mohammed Dawoud (Grade 11, Fatima Al Zahra School, Sharjah), Mohammad Abdullah Al Abdooli (Grade 12, Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi School, Fujairah), Mizna Najeeb Al Shokri (Grade 9, Asma bint Omais School, Ajman), Madiya Saif Al Tunaiji (Grade 6, Falaj Al Moalla School, Umm al Qaiwain), Hoor Mohammad Al Marzooqi (Grade 11, Julphar School – Cycle 3 – Ras Al Khaimah), Jumana Ali Al Aidarous (Grade 10, Zayed Education Complex, Dubai), Noora Humaid Al Mazroui (Grade 8, Zayed City School, Al Dhafra) and Hamdan Majid Al Hammadi (Grade 3, Ibn Sina School, Abu Dhabi).

A Winning Strategy

Sarah Al Amiri stressed that successes achieved by the Arab Reading Challenge initiative since its launch reflect the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership to nurture a generation that reads, has a passion for knowledge and is open to keeping up with progress while holding on to their national identity and moral code.

“The record increase in participation is a clear sign that we are moving in the right direction towards realizing the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his faith in the education sector’s ability to instill the love of reading among the youth,” she noted, expressing her appreciation of the efforts shown by school administrations, supervisors, educators and parents to raise the bar for this year’s Challenge.

“Everybody is a winner in the Arab Reading Challenge. Your grand prize is knowledge, with which communities grow civilizations are built,” she added, addressing all participants in the 7th edition of the Challenge.

Motivation for Knowledge Accumulation

Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama said: “We are excited to see this unprecedented participation by UAE students in the 7th Arab Reading Challenge, reflecting the success of this initiative and its aim of motivating students to read and accumulate knowledge. This success is also attributed to the parents who encourage their kids to read and take part in the Challenge.

“The Arab Reading Challenge initiative continues to record great success and attract more students, with a growing presence by students and people of determination in the UAE and other participating countries. I would like to congratulate all winners: students, supervisors and schools, and to express my gratitude to everyone who helped achieve this success,” he added.

Major Improvement

The 7th Arab Reading Challenge saw record participation and an increase of 11 percent compared to the last edition, with over 24.8 million students from 46 countries, representing 188 schools and overseen by about 150,000 supervisors.

Additionally, this year’s Challenge saw the addition of the ‘People of Determination’ category, a major improvement to the initiative that reflects the importance of their participation and of giving them the chance to prove their capabilities and enhance their skills. Over 22,500 students of determination, who have read 25 books according to the conditions of participation, have moved up to the final rounds.

The Challenge comprises several rounds of qualification for students who have successfully read and summarized the contents of 50 books. Qualifications start at the class level and end at the country level before the winners move to the final round. The selection of winners is based on strict and unified criteria that include an assessment of all relevant aspects.