The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has allocated Dh6 million to be spent on books and educational materials as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair gets underway.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, made the announcement during the first day of the fair, with the books set to be purchased from the 500,000 titles available at the event.
The books and educational materials will be used to support the country’s education sector, and will be distributed to government schools throughout the UAE.
"Investing in books means investing in minds, the very foundation that any nation’s success is built on,” said Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education. “We are grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his support. Making a wide variety of literary works from the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair available to students will undoubtedly play an instrumental role in their educational development. It will also contribute greatly to broadening their horizons and better acquaint them with different cultures to hone their skills and further their experiences throughout their educational journey."
Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism added: "We are greatly appreciative of this gesture, which reflects the vision and wisdom of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as it provides significant support and assistance to one of our country’s vital cultural industries, and follows the recent announcement that publishers are exempted from participation fees for the current edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
“We will immediately begin working with the Ministry of Education to ensure the selection of titles meets the needs of students at various levels of education, and to provide school libraries with the latest and most important literary, scientific, cultural and educational publications. By doing so, we will be able to motivate our youth to read and discover more about the world around them, which is in line with the vision of His Highness to encourage reading among students, and to make reading and acquiring knowledge a priority for the UAE community."
Running from Sunday, May 23 until Saturday, May 29 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), the 30th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will see more than 800 exhibitors from 46 countries take part. The fair is taking place as a hybrid programme of virtual events and activities held on the ground under strict precautionary measures to ensure visitors enjoy a safe experience.
More information on the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is available at adbookfair.com
