Kids Read, the HSBC and British Council regional reading programme for government primary school children, is returning for the third consecutive year with many new participating schools. The opening ceremony for this season’s programme was held at Malik Bin Anas Model Independent School. The event was attended by English language teachers and librarians from the participating schools and a class of grade 4 children from the host school and their parents.
The CEO of HSBC, Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, said after the opening ceremony: “The Kids Read programme is one of the most valued projects that HSBC supports in the MENA region. This reading programme underpins HSBC’s community investment strategy that focuses on helping young people reach their potential through access to education, life skills and the discovery of different cultures.”
The opening ceremony featured a live storytelling session with David Vale, a storyteller from the UK. Vale, who is in the region to kick off the start of the annual reading programme, engaged the children and audience with his lively storytelling through a select number of books from the Kids Read collection.
Martin Hope, Director of British Council Qatar, added: “We are delighted that Kids Read is back for another year. Building a strong community in any country begins with fostering a love of learning and creativity; neither of which can be done without reading. Research has consistently shown that children who read from a young age perform better across all subject areas in the education system. The British Council is proud to be working with HSBC to provide children, teachers and families with a comprehensive and exciting reading programme that provides access to the resources needed to develop a love of reading and help secure a bright future”.
Kids Read has reached over 35,000 children in the GCC region in the past two years. The programme encourages children to adopt reading as a leisure activity, both inside and outside their classrooms, and aims to work with as many teachers and children in schools through the programme as possible.
The Peninsula
