UAE students shine in the Arab reading challenge

Dubai on July 1 / WAM / The ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge witnessed the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai “may God bless him”.

The students pointed out that the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum constituted a qualitative shift in their cognitive career, and contributed to the consolidation of the culture of reading and the development of intellectual awareness since childhood, expressing their great gratitude to His Highness on this pioneering initiative, which brought the book to its place.

They confirmed in statements to the Emirates News Agency “WAM” that the passion for the book and knowledge was the main engine behind their achievement, as the student, Reem Adel Al -Zarouni, who won the first place at the level of the UAE, confirmed that she started reading at an early age, and participated in the challenge four times, and the coronation was a dream achieved after years of persistence and challenges, noting that she had read 300 books during her journey in the challenge.

She explained that in her first participation, she got the ninth position at the level of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from among more than 78 thousand participants, and qualified in the second participation out of 188,000, but she was unable to qualify in the third attempt.

And she showed that the most influential books in her life were the book “Because You are God” by Ali bin Jaber Al -Fifi, saying that he sows reassurance and compels the mind, and whispered his words with hope and confidence in responding from God.

She emphasized that the reading gave her maturity and awareness, and contributed to building an ambitious personality that does not know the impossible, noting that her crowning today represents an investigation of one of her dreams.

For his part, the student Saeed bin Hamdan bin Saeed Al Nahyan from Khalifa bin Zayed first school, the second -place winner at the state level, stressed that reading was his way to excellence, noting that he read 354 books in Arabic during his participation in the Arab Reading Challenge 2025. He said that the most influencing book is the book of the solar system, because he loves everything related to space, adding that the challenge gave him new skills and helped him to develop thinking and intelligence, expressing He thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for the launch of this wonderful and enjoyable challenge, describing it as a journey full of science, knowledge and fun.

As for the student Abdullah Ahmed Rashid Al -Dhanhani from Hamad bin Abdullah Al -Sharqi School, he won the first position at the state level in the category of people of determination, he pointed out that his achievement came as a continuous resolve and family and educational support that enabled him to read 120 books through audio recordings. He explained that his supervisor was providing him with books in an audio form, and he reviewed it daily with his voice after listening, and sometimes he could memorize more than one book per day.

He stated that the book “Flashes of Thought” by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was the most influential in his personality, indicating that the book helped him to develop himself, and strengthened his belief in the ability of young people to build a leadership future that achieves the lead.

In the same context, the student Abdullah Khalil Saeed Al -Zahouri from Hamad bin Abdullah Al -Sharqi School (Third Episode), winner of the first place at the level of the Emirate of Fujairah and the fifth place at the state level, said that the achievement came as a result of his early passion for reading and his continuous training since the beginning of the school year.

He added that he read about 350 books, in his career and he was writing its summaries in an organized way that facilitated him to return to it, which helped him to understand deeper and better preparation, noting that the book “Why do we sleep?” He was one of the most prominent books that affected his personality, as he changed his view of organizing time and linking sleep to productivity.

He added that the reading polished his personality and opened new horizons for him, calling on his colleagues to try various reading fields in order to discover what they love.

The student, Fahd Al -Hafiti, from the eighth grade students of the Military Secondary School in Al -Ain, who won the ninth position at the state level and the second at the level of Al -Ain region, confirmed that the book of the Prophet’s biography of Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him, was the most prominent influence in himself, describing him that he presented him with an integrated moral and religious model, and instilled in himself the meanings of tolerance and honesty.

He pointed out that the reading directly affected his consciousness and intellectual maturity, and said that reading is the weapon of the mind, which has grown its perceptions and increased its maturity, calling on his colleagues to read the series of masterpieces of Arab stories because of its inspirational positions, praising the role of his family, teacher and school officers in his support.

For its part, Zahra Hamad, who won the title of distinguished supervisor at the level of the UAE in the Arab Reading Challenge, stressed that the adoption of operational plans and periodic honors for students contributed significantly to their motivation for the achievement, and the increase in the number of those who obtained the golden passport compared to previous years.

She said that the plan approved in cooperation with school departments included a regular honor for the accomplished students, which strengthened their motivation, and many of them helped reach the coronation platform.

She added that the real impact of the challenge is reflected on the student’s personality, as reading contributes to enhancing self -confidence and the ability to express, stressing that state schools are full of distinguished models, especially in the early academic stages.

She pointed to the availability of various reading sources, paper and electronic, which meets the tendencies of students with the support of community institutions, calling for continuing to organize efforts inside schools to consolidate the culture of reading.

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