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Reading law panel vows to ensure books for all in UAE

Abu Dhabi - The education sector will be responsible for developing educational systems and curricula that promote reading, as well as establishing libraries

Riding on the momentum created by Year of Reading last year, the UAE is putting in place a comprehensive National Reading Law to ensure books are readily available for all - students, youth, employees, the elderly and even newborns.
The UAE Higher Committee for the National Reading Law that concluded its inaugural meeting on Monday discussed a range of initiatives to reinforce the habit of reading, including setting up of new libraries across the country, having a unified database for all private and public libraries, and establishing a national library that would archive and preserve all cultural and knowledge-based publications.
As per the framework of the law, both federal and local bodies will implement strategies to give reading a big push at educational institutes, at workplaces, in hospitals, at coffee shops and even at prisons. The national strategic initiative will be executed over several stages, which will be supervised and measured by government performance sector indexes.
The meeting was attended by Maryam Al Hammadi, head of the committee and executive director of government performance sector at the Prime Minister's Office; Marwan Ahmad Al Sawaleh, undersecretary of support services at the UAE Ministry of Education; Afra'a Mohammed Al Sabri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development; Sana Mohammed Suhail, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Community Development; Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awar, director general of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, and Mansour Al Mansouri, director general of National Media Council. The committee was formed by the UAE Cabinet.
"This meeting was essential for planning ongoing strategies for reading. The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed, is keen to develop the knowledge of the UAE citizens and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to plant the passion of knowledge and leadership in the youth, as they are the future of the UAE," said Al Hammadi.
Sector-wise responsibility to promote reading
> The education sector will be responsible for developing educational systems and curricula that promote reading, as well as establishing libraries
> The health sector will distribute literary bags to all newborns and also focus on improving speech therapy for those who require it.
> The social development sector will support reading among prisoners. It will also promote and organise a volunteer-based initiative 'Read for me', to make reading possible for children, the elderly and special needs.
> The culture and knowledge sector will promote publishing quality works in Arabic and also support writers, publishers and publishing houses financially to facilitate reading and knowledge transfer through effective translations.
> The human resources sector will ensure that employees receive the books they needed in the workplace and the economic sector will focus on providing valuable reading material at coffee shops across the country.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com