Out of the thousands of student participants in the UAE Arab Reading Challenge, a fifth Grader, named Mezna Najeeb was awarded with the winner’s trophy after she outperformed over 455,000 participants from 1412 private and public schools. She was selected in the list of the top 10 finalists across the educational zones in the United Arabs Emirates during one of the ceremonies that were held in Dubai’s Men’s College. The ceremony also handed over prizes worth Dh400,000 to the successful participating students.
The Outstanding Supervisor Award was presented to Wedad Mohammed Al Shehhi from the Ministry of Education while the Best School Award in the United Arabs Emirates was presented to Al Rams Primary School in Ras Al Khaimah.
The Ministry of Education collaborated along with various authorities, educational zones and schools across the country for expanding the outreach of the reading challenge to more students. More than thousands of supervisors and teachers worked with students closely and help them to select different book, while the schools also worked constantly for upgrading their libraries with new materials and organizing reading events throughout the year.
During the award ceremony, the Minister of State for Public Education, Jameela Al Muhairi said that in the fast paced world each day was different from the other and everyone is aware that the next day brings new challenges, hence for staying ahead in the rapidly changing world one must read and continue reading.
She noted that the steady increase in the number of participant students in the United Arabs Emirates throughout the year records over a 50% increase in participation in three years, since it was launched in 2015. She said that the participation reached over 455,000 students across the public and private schools in the country.
