UAE pupils return to school to focus on books this term

As part of the 'Year of Reading' initiative the Abu Dhabi Educational Council said it would encourage all schools across the emirate to take part in reading activities throughout the term.

Reading will very much be at the forefront of studies this term in Abu Dhabi, the education regulator has said. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // More than 369,000 pupils will be returning to 441 public and private schools in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after their three-week mid-year holiday.

As part of the “Year of Reading” initiative, Abu Dhabi Educational Council said it would encourage all schools to take part in reading activities throughout the term, with the aim of turning reading into a daily habit for children.

A study by the Arab Thought Foundation released in 2012 reported an average reader in the region spends just six minutes with a book, reading a quarter of a page a year.

To encourage reading, Adec said it continues to add diverse books and genres to its existing Learning Resource Centres across public schools.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Police has advised parents dropping their children off at school to abide by traffic laws and limit their speed, as well as ensuring children under 10 are buckled up in the back seat.

Police also asked school bus drivers to make sure all pupils safely embark and disembark the bus and to ensure the bus is empty when it reaches its final destination.