Government organisations mark local, national programmes for the UAE Year of Reading
Mohammed Abdulla Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Higher Supervisory Committees for Year of Reading and UAE Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and the Future, said, "There are more than 340 major reading initiatives and activities taking place across the country involving over 100 local entities working in co-ordination with the Higher Supervisory Committees for Year of Reading to achieve the objectives of this initiative. The aim is to weave the habit of reading into the very fabric of UAE society to nurture a generation of readers."
"The Year of Reading is intended to be a stepping stone to change in the UAE’s society, a shift in habits and behaviours towards building a culture of reading and making it an inherent part of people’s lives. These important programmes and initiatives aim to promote reading as a social habit, which is part of everyday life in the UAE, building a force for positive development," Al Gergawi commented.
The minister’s statement coincided with the announcement of the projects and programmes being undertaken by the co-ordinating committees overseeing the 2016 Year of Reading in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman as well as the committees of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.
Abdul Rahim Al Batih, Head of international Relations at Abu Dhabi Media, spoke about the programmes and activities that took place in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and highlighted the most important events in the Year of Reading including the Abu Dhabi Reads Campaign; Read a Story with a Star; the Innovative Reader competition; Al Ittihad Book of the Month; the Abu Dhabi Airport Reading Corner, and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The ‘Abu Dhabi Reads’ campaign was organised by the Abu Dhabi Education Council and consisted of a series of events and activities that promote reading skills among school students as well as inculcate the reading habit in adults. Read a Story with a Star was organised by the National Library at the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority in collaboration with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport in Abu Dhabi. The event was held in Al Bahia Park and was attended by 150 children. The Innovative Reader competition was organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority targeting boys and girls between 7 and 12 years of age.
The Book of the Month with Al Ittihad newspaper was part of Abu Dhabi Media’s campaign for the Year of Reading, and represents a book that is chosen and distributed to Al Ittihad newspaper readers, while the Abu Dhabi Airport Reading Corner was launched by Abu Dhabi Airports, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
The Corner is a library at the Abu Dhabi International Airport designed to provide books in several languages for travellers. The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is part of the "Kitab" strategy that aims to transform Abu Dhabi into a global hub of publishing and is a major regional platform for publishers, distributors, agents, cultural organisations, educationalists and readers.
Addressing the most prominent events in the Year of Reading, Aisha Miran, Assistant Secretary-General, Strategy Management and Governance Sector, said that the largest library in the Arab world will be established through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library. The project will include several libraries, as well as initiatives that aim to protect the Arabic language and encourage reading among the next generation. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) also launched its public transport library initiative, providing small libraries in metro stations that consist of books in Arabic and English, and allowing passengers to borrow books to read and return them for the use of others.
Speaking of the activities of the emirate of Fujairah in the Year of Reading, Saeed Al Afkham, Director-General of the Fujairah Culture and Media Authority, said that some 96 events had been announced, of which 66 had been implemented, with the balance to take place by the year’s end. Al Afkham spoke about a number of key initiatives taking place at the Fujairah International Exhibition for Education and Employment, which was held under the slogan ‘We Live to Read’ at the Fujairah Exhibition Centre with the participation of 80 entities and 150 universities and educational institutions from around the world.
The Fujairah Foundation of Natural Resources has launched an initiative titled ‘Tourist’s Reading’ at the beginning of April, which aims to introduce tourists in the United Arab Emirates to the many historical, national, geographical and economic features in the Emirates while aiming to familiarise them with the most prominent initiatives and activities taking place across the country.
In April 2016, Fujairah College held its ‘Students Media Forum’ under the banner ‘Reading is the Path to Creativity’, organised by the students of the Faculty of Mass Communication and Public Relations Department in Fujairah.
The Fujairah Education Council will launch its ‘Reading for All’ campaign in September, targeting remote areas, villages and inland cities in the emirate. The campaign includes literacy programmes and activities and a variety of contests and reading workshops conducted by selected reading ambassadors and staff from the Council.
Under the patronage of Sheikh Dr. Rashid bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of Fujairah Culture and Media Authority, the Fujairah Centre for Books and Documentation will be opening in October 2016. The Centre will include a public library open to researchers and readers, as well as a centre to document the heritage of the emirate's history and convert them into digital files for the benefit of the upcoming generations.
Abdullah Ali Bu-Aseeba, Director of the Umm Al Qaiwain Office of the Ministry of Information and Culture spoke about the emirate’s special events taking place within the Year of Reading, highlighting the main events such as ‘A Story on the Beach’ which saw tremendous participation from volunteers, citizens and community police.
A ‘mobile book carts’ initiative was also launched in the hospitals and medical centres of Umm Al Quwain, aiming to encourage patients and waiting area visitors to read. In collaboration with the Choueifat International Private School, the Women’s Association of Umm Al Qaiwain also launched a programme ‘The World of Fun Reading’ that ran for three months in the emirate.
Nahidah Al Awadhi, Project Management Director, Executive Council in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah explained the main events taking place in Ras Al Khaimah implemented as part of the Year of Reading, including a book fair as well as additional events in collaboration with the Union of Writers.
The Public Works and Services Department had dedicated a special reading wing in the Products Exhibition, which was held in Sheikh Saqr Park, to target foreign workers in the emirate. The Department of Economic Development is working alongside Fujairah on an ‘A Book in Every Home’ initiative that will last over three years and include the distribution of packs of three non-fiction books which aim to enhance the public’s general knowledge. The department is also involved in the project ‘Relax and Read’, which aims to stimulate building a library and promotes free books to the owners of licenced caf?s in Ras Al Khaimah.
Commenting on upcoming events during this year, Al Awadhi said that the Department of Economic Development will launch a volunteer project to train university students to promote Arabic content creation across world encyclopaedias and Wikipedia by using the assistance of professional trainers from the Wikimedia Egypt International Foundation. Additionally, a collaboration between the Department of Development and Ras Al Khaimah Transport to create the ‘Reading Journey’ initiative will provide public transportation vehicles affiliated to Ras Al Khaimah Transport with books free of charge to bus riders.
The Sheikh Saqr Programme for Government Excellence also provides a draft summary of the best global articles around leadership and strategy.
The Ras Al Khaimah Award for Educational Excellence launched a programme that aims to treat students with dyslexia in public schools by providing a treatment plan through courses and workshops as well as intensive training for students.