Abu Dhabi pupil Dana Al Zarouni has been crowned the nation’s best young reader after winning the 10th UAE Arab Reading Challenge.
A participant for three consecutive years, Dana completed the challenge requirement of 50 books and far exceeded it through her personal reading.
The 11-year-old, who attends Al Ittihad National Private School, read about 200 books to beat more than 830,000 entrants from schools across the country – the highest number of participants in the competition’s history.
Dana was honoured for her achievement by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, during a ceremony at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City on Thursday.
She will go on to represent the UAE in the global grand final. Dana told The National that she had read a lot of books to distract her from the recent regional conflict between the US and Iran.
“People might be distracted with incidents around their environment, but during the recent tension I took advantage of the chance to read more books,” she said.
“I didn’t allow myself to be distracted and decided to take control of my time. I decided to read.
“Books can teach us anything in life. Sometimes I read a book in one day. I feel proud to represent my country.”
“I feel proud and happy because after years of trying and reading, I finally won. The Arabic language is our identity, and we must show how it shines among the languages of the world.”
Dana said her favourite books are those that reflect real human experiences and emotions.
She added that she believes reading helps young people build confidence, pursue ambitious dreams and better understand life through the experiences of others.
“Books are the first step towards your dreams. Reading helps children become more confident and gives them a wider vision of what they can achieve.”
Dana, who has seven brothers and sisters, said she dreams of becoming an author, and hopes to continue to make her country proud.
“Reading has not only shaped me as a reader, but also as a writer. I want to write stories of my own in the future,” she said.
Thursday’s event was also attended by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education.
“With the rapid changes we are living through, language will remain the main foundation of civilisations. It is the bridge between knowledge and work,” Ms Al Amiri said. “The Arab Reading Challenge can form generations capable of building the future.
“What we recently witnessed in our region confirmed that clear visions and minds are built through challenge, reading and education.
“Our target was to make reading and writing part of daily life at our schools, by setting lessons and programmes supporting reading and writing.”
Sharjah pupil Hamad Al Hashmi took home second prize at the ceremony. Yousef Saeed from Al Qudwa Boys School, also in Sharjah, was the winner in the People of Determination category among 395 pupils.
Naima Al Amiri, from Dubai, received the Outstanding Supervisor Award, while Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi School in Fujairah took home the award for Best School, beating more than 1,250 institutions from around the Emirates.
Launched during the 2015-2016 academic year by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Reading Challenge is the world’s largest Arabic literacy initiative, and one of the flagship projects under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives.
Its mission is to encourage a love of reading, strengthen language skills and nurture young Arabs’ knowledge and character.
It also aims to reinforce the status of the Arabic language as a language of science, literature and knowledge, while encouraging younger generations to use Arabic in their daily lives.
Organisers say it promotes cross-cultural understanding, tolerance and coexistence, while equipping pupils with the skills tey need to build a better future and promoting Arabic as a vibrant, living language worldwide.
Sheikh Mohammed said in April that the worldwide expansion of the Arab Reading Challenge had attracted more than 40 million participants from 138,000 schools in 60 countries.
