Drive to make 1m kids read 50m books

AVERAGE READING TIME AMONG ARAB CHILDREN IS ONLY SIX MINUTES A YEAR

Amajor UAE-led campaign to encourage one million children across the Middle East to read 50 million books in 2016 is one step closer to reality after project team members hosted partners to talk strategy.

A multi-million dollar initiative launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Reading Challenge aims to tackle significantly low reading levels in the Arab world.

Low-reading problem

In a statement yesterday, challenge organisers said the low-reading problem is dire. Organisers said the average reading time for an Arab child is six minutes a year compared to 12,000 minutes in the West, according to the Arab Thought Foundation’s Arab Report for Cultural Development.

Meanwhile, the reading rate of an Arab individual is a quarter of a page a year compared with 11 books in the US and seven books in the UK, according to a study conducted by the Supreme Council of Culture in Egypt.

To effect change for higher levels of literacy, 45 representatives from 20 countries, including Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, Denmark, China and the UK, were received by Najlaa Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Arab Reading Challenge.

Najlaa said the challenge aims to reverse the Arab world’s cultural decline by making reading a top priority on the agenda of Arab countries. “Reading gives students the tools to forge a better future,” she said. “It pushes them to assess their role in society and ultimately choose to become leaders rather than followers. In short, the challenge’s goal is to help shape a new generation with excellent reading skills and a thirst for knowledge to drive cultural progress. We want to open the door to a brighter future for our children, bring a renewed hope and support in narrowing the cultural gap between Arabs and the rest of the world.”