File picture used for representation
The second round of the Arabic Reading Challenge competition in Qatar was launched yesterday with the participation of 215 schools. The event will continue until April 19.
The contest is organised by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in collaboration with government and private schools.
This stage of the competition aims to select the best ten winners from each of the ten areas identified by the Ministry. The competing schools have been divided into ten categories.
In the third round, which will take place between May 6-7, the best ten will be selected to represent Qatar in the final of the reading Challenge Championship taking place in Dubai.
Teachers, judges and coordinators of the Arabic Reading Challenge project are playing a very important role in making students acquire the habit of reading, said Laila Al Kaabi, head of the committee in charge of the reading project.
The Arabic Reading Challenge competition is a project launched by H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage youngsters to read Arabic books and to get "a million children" in the Arab countries to read 50 Arabic books each every year, in addition to their normal reading for school.
Students from grade one to grade twelve participate in this competition from all Arab countries and they need to pass five stages to reach the final. Each student needs to read five books in each stage and make a summary of the content in an exercise book called “Challenge Passport”.
Following the stage of reading and summarizing the books there is challenge competition at the levels of school and categories until the final stage of selecting the best ten students to represent Qatar in the final stage in Dubai.
Pupils from 21 countries, their parents, head teachers, government dignitaries and diplomats will attend the final ceremony of honouring winners who will receive prizes worth a total of Dh11m at an award ceremony.
