More than 3.5m students take part in Arab Reading Challenge

More than 3.5 million students took part in this year’s Arab Reading Challenge, a number Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said he was sure would double next year.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stands with the finalists of the Arab Reading Challenge during the closing award ceremony at the Dubai Opera. Christopher Pike / The NatiShow more

DUBAI // The Arab Reading Challenge showed the world that knowledge remains the Arabs’ greatest weapon, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said on Monday.

More than 3.5 million pupils took part in this year’s challenge – a number the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai is certain will double next year.

Sheikh Mohammed attended an award ceremony on Monday at Dubai Opera, where he congratulated 18 winners he said were part of “a reading Arab generation of which we are proud”.

“Reading nourishes the brain and the candidates’ win in the Arab Reading Challenge today was a win for their families, their countries and their nations,” he said. “They are the leaders of the future. All 3.5 million participants were winners, and I am sure to see 7 million participants next year.

“In my life, a day that goes by that I don’t learn something is a day wasted.”

Total prize money was Dh11 million with Mohammed Farah, 7, winning Dh550,000 (US$150,000).

The Algerian boy will receive $100,000 towards his university fees and $50,000 for his family.

“I want to read to learn,” Mohammed said. “Reading is a necessity, like food and water.”

Sheikh Mohammed said the challenge “is the UAE’s message to the world that the Arabs’ weapon was and will remain knowledge, education and open-mindedness. We are positive this cultured and tolerant generation can spread hope and build the future.

“The Arab Reading Challenge is proof that we, as Arabs, can work together to achieve a lot. The generation that reads builds and flourishes.”

Tala’e Al Amal High School in Palestine was awarded $1 million for being the school that best encourages its pupils to read.

For the individual awards, Roeya Hemo from Jordan and Wilaa Al Baqali from Bahrain were second and third place.

Roeya said that if she were to write a book she would call it Behind the Wall, and it would be about the problems faced by Palestinians.

“It would talk about the Palestinians and the struggles of the Palestinians in the face of occupation,” she said. “It would be about human rights.”

Wilaa said that her favourite book was about the life of Laila Al Othman, a prominent Kuwaiti writer.

“I loved reading about her exceptional challenges and experiences, be it in her work, literature or personal life,” she said.

Ali Al Shaali, president of the Arab Reading Challenge jury, said the competition encouraged children to read and had some exceptional participants.

“There is this assumption that Arabic is ‘the old and traditional’ and not as ‘cool’ and modern as English, and that is the furthest thing from the truth,” Mr Al Shaali said. “We want to encourage people to read, whatever the material is.

“If you won today, you are a winner, and if you didn’t win in the competition, you are still a winner because the prize is reading itself.”

Pupils from 21 countries read 150 million books on which they were tested in five stages.