More than 2.5 million kids take part in Arab Reading Challenge
dubai — As the final rounds approach for the second Arab Reading Challenge (ARC), five out of the 15 participating countries will ann-ounce their final 10 nominees — out of more than 2.5 million participants.
The Arab Reading Challenge, launched last year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is the largest regional reading project in the Arab world.
The challenge aims to instil the habit of reading in participating students and Arab youth by rewarding the most avid readers.
The first five countries to close the third phase of qualifications are Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Lebanon. In all five countries the top students, supervisors and schools competed at the municipal level, and the competition has now reached the national level.
Last year’s top 10 winners from each country will compete to read 75 books within the academic year this time through the newly-introduced ‘ARC diamond round’.
ARC secretary-general Najla Al Shamsi said: “The objective of this challenge is to realise Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision to empower young Arabs with knowledge and hope, creating leaders who have diverse cultural and scientific understanding and are able to tackle the challenges of the future.
“What we have seen in the second round of the competition is very promising and makes us proud; we expect ARC 2017 to reach new heights and achieve new feats.”
All participating countries will submit their final nominations, including the finalists for the ARC diamond round, before the end of April.
At this point, each participating country will announce their top student, supervisor and school, who will represent them at the fourth and final phase of the competition.
In Egypt, two million students participated in the ARC this year, while in Jordan more than 360,000 students competed. In Kuwait, more than 63,000 students competed, while in Oman 21,000 students took part. In Lebanon 14,000 students, six supervisors and two schools made it to the third-round nominations.