Sheikh Mohammed's grand gesture as reading champ breaks down on stage
Published: Tue 30 Oct 2018, 12:11 PM
Last updated: Wed 31 Oct 2018, 11:14 AM
Moroccan Mariam Amjoun, 9, broke down in tears when she was declared the Arab Reading Champion for 2018, after beating over 10.5 million students from 44 countries who collectively read over 250 million books to win the grand prize.
In a heartwarming scene during the final ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, used his Ghutra (national headwear) to wipe away her tears before the crowd broke in cheers and applause.
Sheikh Mohammed awarded the girl on stage with a trophy, as she took home Dh500,000 cash prize in the challenge that dished out Dh11 million worth of prizes.
Amjoun outperformed five finalists with her answers to the judging panel on stage during the final ceremony that saw the audience casting their votes to help pick the Arab Reading Champion. She was selected based on hercomprehension of the 50 books she read, her ability to communicate accurately in Arabic, critical and creative thinking, and general knowledge.
Al Ekhlas School from Kuwait won the Dh1 million Outstanding School prize, ahead of 52,000 schools, for its diverse reading initiatives and programs that encouraged students to take up books at a young age. Out of 86,000 supervisors, Aisha Al Tuwairki from Saudi Arabia bagged a Dh300,000 prize for being an Outstanding supervisor.
Sheikh Mohammed congratulated the winners and said, "We bet on a generation of readers. We bet on the 10 million students who read 50 books each in one year. We trust that their minds and knowledge will change our societies to the better. We place our hopes on them, and through them, we will reignite our civilization's development."
Speaking to the media on the sidelines, Amjoun said she expected the win. "I have been preparing for the challenge by reading, summarizing and analyzing books since 2017. Some of them were hard to comprehend especially history books, but a challenge has to be overcome," said Amjoun.
Amjoun grew up to books ever since her parents, both teachers, read to her as a child. She said she loves reading books that address a scientific, historical or social issue. "Reading will save nations drowning in illiteracy and poverty. Reading is a hospital to the mind."
The girl said she aims to be an architect like the distinguished Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid who passed away in 2016.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al Nuaimi, project manager at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said the challenge aims to make reading a lifestyle. "When a school wins the challenge, the other schools from Arab countries will take it as a role model to enhance their performances for the next year. ARC isn't just a prize, the work starts after the event," said Al Nuaimi.
The third edition of the Arab Reading Challenge witnessed a 25 percent increase in participation over the previous year that reached 7.4 million students from 25 countries, competing to win Dh11 million worth of prizes. The first round of the challenge had attracted 3.59 million students in 2016.
For the first time, this year's edition opened doors to Arab students from non-Arab countries to participate, bringing up the number of countries reached to 44, compared to last year's 25 countries.
Launched in September 2015, ARC became the largest pan-Arab project that aims for a million students in the Arab region to read 50 million books a year.
Seven-year-old Mohammed Jallood from Algeria and Palestinian-based Talaie' Al-Amal School were the winners of the 2016 Arab Reading Challenge. The 17-year-old Palestinian Afaf Raed and Al Iman School from Bahrain were last year's champions.
We are far away from home, but we can read Arabic
Syrian Tasneem Ayedi, who lives in France for the past 11 years, bagged Dh100,000 for winning first place in the newly-introduced category that allowed Arab students from non-Arab countries to participate.
Ayedi, who won the prize after reading and summarizing 25 literature and history books, said the challenge proved that Arabs are capable of reading and preserving the Arabic language even if they're away from home.
Although she studies in a French school, the 12-year-old said her mother, an Arabic teacher, was her main support in strengthening her Arabic language.
The aspiring author said she plans to use the prize money to form a reading club that contributes to building a knowledgeable young generation.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com