Dubai: The Minister of Education launched a nation-wide reading campaign in public and private schools to support the Arabic language.
The competition will be launched through the ministry’s Twitter account @MOEducationUAE and @MOE_Students from October 30 to November 15.
The first phase of the campaign will consist of two competitions. The first is titled ‘We read, We innovate’, which will target pupils in both the private and public sector, while the second competition will target schools and is titled ‘The flame of reading’. Both competitions aim to strengthen the link of pupils with Arabic language and literature, especially in reading.
Minister of Education Hussain Bin Ebrahim Al Hammadi stressed that the preservation of the Arabic language is among the ministry’s main priorities to meet the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“This comes under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Khalifa, who believes that the Arabic language is the essence of our identity, a solid foundation of our nation and is the core of the Arab nation’s identity and form of expression.”
Al Hammadi said the ministry also pays great attention to meeting the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He said: “Shaikh Mohammad said that our role in protecting the Arabic language is an Islamic value and a national duty.”
All public and private schools are invited to take part in the competitions. The first prize in ‘The flame of reading’ competition will be Dh20,000, the second prize will be Dh15,000 and the third Dh10,000.
Al Hammadi said the schools rewarded the first prize will also receive a flaming torch that represents its win for one year, before it passes on to the next winning school. He said the winning schools will be chosen carefully by a group of experienced judges.
As for the pupil competition ‘We read, We innovate’, the pupil who reads the most will be rewarded from each educational level (elementary, primary and high school), with Dh6,000 for the first prize, Dh5,000 for the second, Dh4,000 for the third, Dh3,000 for the fourth and Dh2,000 for the fifth. The winning pupils who read the most will be chosen based on high standards that will be determined through field trips and personal interviews.
The minister issued a circular to all schools to take part in the competition. He also called on ministry officials, education zone officials and parents to encourage pupils to take part in the reading completion and strengthen their Arab identity.
Al Hammadi said that it is also part of the UAE’s national agenda and 2021 vision that aims to make the UAE a centre of excellence for the Arabic language.
He said the ministry is working on achieving this goal, which is part of its strategic plan (2015-2021) through initiatives and projects, teacher training, developing Arabic curriculums, activities and competitions. He also said the Arabic language should be preserved as it is one of the six international official languages of Unesco.
