JORDANIAN TEEN WINS ARAB READING CHALLENGE
Abdullah Abu Khalaf outperformed four finalists to bag Dh500,000. Egypt’s Al Ghoraib School won the Dh1m ‘Best School’ award, while the UAE’s Moza Al Ghanna was voted ‘Outstanding Supervisor’ |
Passion for the Arabic language persisted during the pandemic. I would have loved to meet the finalists like I do every year, but the circumstances posed by pandemic prevented that. Reading will remain our shield against any difficult times.”
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
A17-year-old Jordanian boy won Dh500,000 as the champion of the Dubai-based international ‘Arab Reading Challenge’ during the contest’s closing ceremony on Monday night.
Abdullah Abu Khalaf was declared the champion of the competition’s fifth edition, in a ceremony aired on MBC Channel yesterday, held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who congratulated the winners in a video message during the ceremony.
I would have loved to meet the finalists like I do every year in the UAE, but the circumstances posed by pandemic prevented that. Reading will remain our shield against any difficult times. We will see you all soon in the UAE.”
‘Reading will remain our shield’
Shaikh Mohammad said in a video speech during the ceremony: “Passion for the Arabic language persisted during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Congratulating the winners, Shaikh Mohammad added: “I thank the 21 million Arab students who participated in the challenge despite the pandemic. I would have loved to meet the finalists like I do every year in the UAE, but the circumstances posed by pandemic prevented that. Reading will remain our shield against any difficult times. We will see you all soon in the UAE.”
The winner outperformed the other four finalists, with Sarah Al Daeef from Morocco named second, Diaa Al Qaisum from Saudi Arabia named third, Yousra Mohammad
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Al Imam from Sudan in fourth place, and Abdul Rahman Mansour Ahmed Mohammad from Egypt in fifth position.
Abdullah emerged triumphant among the 21 million participants from 52 countries across the world who took part in the challenge.
UAE-based winner
Moza Al Ghanna from the UAE bagged the Dh300,000 ‘Outstanding Supervisor’ award for her efforts in guiding and motivating students to participate in various stages of the challenge – especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic. She was selected from 120,000 participating supervisors in this year’s challenge.
The ceremony, hosted by George Kordahi, the recently announced Lebanese Minister of Information, was broadcast on MBC hannel and the Arab Reading Challenge website. It showcased the inspiring journey of participants in this year’s challenge amid the exceptional circumstances posed by the pandemic, demonstrating the power of reading to overcome difficult times. Winners of the challenge, which distributes awards totalling Dh11 million, received their awards this year through UAE embassies and diplomatic envoys in the targeted countries.
Surprise visit
Abdullah received the news of his win as the Arab Reading Champion via a surprise visit from Ahmad Ali Al Balushi, the UAE Ambassador to Jordan, who congratulated him and his family on his achievement.
He had stood out in successive judging committees with his confidence and clarity with which he expressed his ideas and opinions, underlining the role of reading in building skills and capabilities and transforming individuals into active contributors to their communities.
Best School Award
Egypt’s Al Ghoraib School for Basic Education won the Dh1 million ‘Best School’ award. Al Hassad Al Tarbawi School in Jordan came second, and Alanjal Private School from Saudi Arabia came in third. The winners were selected from 96,000 schools based on their success in raising the participation rate of students in the Arab Reading Challenge and in creating a solid habit of reading.