DUBAI, 8th October, 2017 (WAM) -- The Higher Committee of the Arab Reading Challenge announced that this year’s competition has seen a whopping 108 percent increase in participation among Arab students living in non-Arab countries. The numbers are testimony to the initiative’s success in transcending the borders of the Arab world.
In total, students from 11 countries – the UK, Denmark, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, Sweden, India, Australia and New Zealand and Canada – are competing in the 2017 Arab Reading Challenge. In contrast, the 2016 edition of the competition witnessed the participation of students from five non-Arab countries.
In the UAE, the total number of participants in the second round of the competition increased by 100 percent, with almost 320,000 students participating. The final ceremony on the countrywide level will take place on Monday, 9th October 2017, and will honour the top ten students from each emirate, the top ten students in the UAE, the best supervisor, the best school, and the winning student, who will represent the country at the final ceremony.
Speaking on the initiative’s remarkable progress, Najla Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Arab Reading Challenge, said: "In only one year since its launch, the Arab Reading Challenge has achieved great success in attracting Arab students living outside the Arab world. The strong uptake reflects the challenge’s global reach and the commitment of Arab communities living abroad to the Arabic language and identity as well as their desire to pass it on to the next generations – one of the key goals of the initiative. Furthermore, it reinforces the UAE’s important role in building a pan-Arab generation that excels in reading and knowledge."
"The competition is subject to the same judging standards in non-Arab countries as in the Arab world, with one exception – the participants only have to read 25 books instead of 50. In each country, we hold qualification rounds. The top contenders will participate in the finals held in Dubai, followed by the award ceremony," she added.
Al Shamsi praised the strong representation of Arab students from the UK, Denmark, and France. The Arab Reading Challenge is working with regional coordinators to finalise the qualifications over the next few months, evaluate the results, and select one winner from each country, who will then proceed to the final round in Dubai.
Amal Kamal Rasheed, Supervisor of the Arab Reading Challenge in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, said: "This year’s competition has seen a surge of interest, with the number of participating schools in Denmark, for example, increasing from four to 10. More families are now encouraging their children to compete as an expression of their devotion to the Arabic language, identity and heritage."
Speaking on the biggest hurdle contenders in the three countries faced, she said: "During the Arab Reading Challenge, we encountered a shortage of Arabic books. Although the culture of reading and visiting public libraries is deeply rooted in these societies, the availability of books in Arabic is very limited, and not all of them are age-appropriate. We overcame this shortfall through recommending that our young readers use e-books as well as hard copies."
Rasheed added: "The Arab Reading Challenge offers us a valuable opportunity to organise exhibitions of Arabic books and encourage all stakeholders to provide public libraries with as many Arabic titles as possible. Books in Arabic educate new generations of expatriates on their heritage and history, and help them keep in touch with their Arab identity through discovering the treasures of Arab culture."
The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in September 2015. Representing the largest pan-Arab reading project, the challenge aims to promote a sustainable reading model through an integrated system of student-supervisor follow-ups and support, as well as monetary incentives for students, supervisors and schools. The project hopes to bring about a cultural renaissance in the Arab world by encouraging students to read and continuously expand their knowledge.