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Sheikh Mohammed: 'Egypt will remain largest and greatest cultural incubator in Arab world'

17 million Egyptian students from 35,000 schools participated in the seventh session of the Arab Reading Challenge

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, affirmed that the Arab Republic of Egypt will remain the largest and greatest cultural incubator in the Arab world, praising the participation of 17 million Egyptian students from 35,000 schools in the seventh session of the Arab Reading Challenge.

In an statement on his official Twitter account, he said that Egypt celebrated today its participation in the largest reading competition in the world, as more than 17 million Egyptian students from 35,000 schools participate in this competition. The Dubai Ruler also extended his thanks to those in charge of the challenge in the Arab Republic of Egypt from the Ministry of Education and Al Azhar.

The student, Muhammad Walid Safar Abdel Latif, won the title of Champion of the Arab Reading Challenge in its seventh session at the level of the Ministry of Education in the Arab Republic of Egypt, among 15,335,747 students, including 12,546 students from the category of people of determination, representing 26,465 schools and under the supervision of 37,220 supervisors who participated in the qualifiers of the seventh session of the largest Arabic reading event of its kind in the world, which is organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) since its launch in 2015 under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed.

The title winning announcement of student Abdel Latif from the third preparatory grade in Kafr El Sharqi Preparatory School in Kafr El Shaikh Governorate came during the closing ceremony of the seventh session of the Arab Reading Challenge, which took place in Cairo in the presence of Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education of Egypt; Mariam Khalifa Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States; Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of MBRGI; in addition to the participation of officials and educators in charge on the Arab Reading Challenge initiative, as well as a large number of parents of students participating in the competitions.

The seventh session of the Arab Reading Challenge witnessed a record participation of about 24.8 million students from 46 countries, representing more than 188,000 schools, and under the supervision of about 150,000 reading supervisors. A new category for people of determination has also been added, as more than 22,500 students participated in the qualifiers at the country level.

Mariam Khalifa Al Kaabi affirmed that the UAE, since its establishment, has been keen to building the human being and investing in knowledge. "Today the UAE is continuing its achievement by providing all enablers to further empower the new Arab generations and elevate the Arabic language in implementation of the visions of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai," Al Kaabi added.

"Today, we feel proud as we see millions of Arab male and female students competing to participate in the Arab Reading Challenge competitions. This strengthens our confidence in the ability of our Arab countries and our rising generations to resume Arab civilization and build a bright future befitting our ancient history," she said.

Al Kaabi highly valued the record participation by the Egyptian male and female students in the 7th edition, noting that this momentum is a new success for Egypt, for the initiative and for those interested in knowledge and culture.

She congratulated the winners, participants and parents, Egyptian ministry of education and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the 7th edition.

Arab Reading Challenge

The Arab Reading Challenge is the region's biggest knowledge initiative that aims to spark passion for knowledge and foster the habit of reading among the young generation in an effort to broaden horizons and boost critical, analytical and creative skills.

Launched under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the Arab Reading Challenge encourages students from grade one to 12 to read in the Arabic language, promoting the use of their mother tongue in their daily lives and highlighting the aesthetics of the rich language across science, literature and other areas of study.

By introducing students to different cultures and customs through books, the Challenge seeks to highlight the importance of reading in building self-learning skills, promoting open dialogue and fostering the values of tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of differences. Reading builds enlightened and healthy minds capable of engaging with the world and driving positive change in their societies.

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