Library of Alexandra launches an ARC wing
dubai — The Library of Alexandria, one of the most significant cultural monuments in the Arab world, has introduced the Arab Reading Challenge (ARC) wing, after a donation of 150,000 books in various genres including fiction, history, science and more.
Saeed Al Eter, assistant secretary-general of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said: “Since its launch two years ago, the ARC has successfully become the largest knowledge project in the Arab world, collaborating with many important cultural institutions across the region.
“The initiative seeks to expand its reach beyond students and schools, and to engage dynamically and directly with cultural and educational institutions in local communities across various countries.
“Since its launch, the foundation has been steadfastly committed to improving communities in the Arab world by spreading culture, positivity and hope,” he concluded.
MBRGI’s partnership with the Library of Alexandria aims to reignite the Arab world’s development process through knowledge, culture and intellectualism.
A gateway to Arab culture
This important partnership between the ARC and the Library of Alexandria in Egypt will maximise student participation in the ARC; for the first time, school students will be allowed to borrow books from the library, for quality reading material, and to inculcate the habit of daily reading.
Under the agreement, the Library of Alexandria committed to making the books available to all schools participating in the ARC, including sending buses to reach schools that do not have access to the library, as well as coordinating school trips to bring students to the library itself.
ARC secretary-general Dr Najla Al Shamsi said: “The ARC is keen to partner with various cultural institutions, both globally and regionally, in order to provide books and educational material for students, wherever they are. The initiative seeks to instill reading as a daily habit among young Arabs — by engaging the largest number of stakeholders possible in activities that promote literacy, we get closer to achieving our goal.
“The agreement with the Library of Alexandria, one of the most iconic cultural institutions in the Arab world, makes reading more accessible to students across all of Egypt, who can borrow books in order to participate in the challenge.”