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Under the auspices of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program launched "Aqdar" initiatives to promote the literacy skills. The initiative is a part of the efforts to mark 2016 as a year for reading, and embody the UAE’s directives aimed at reinforcing its international stature in the areas of creativity and innovation.

Major General Dr. Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of HH Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Khalifa Student Empowerment Program "Aqdar", underlined that these initiatives are being implemented upon the directives of the higher leadership to declare 2016 as the "Year of Reading". "They also come in implementation of the strategy of Khalifa Student Empowerment Program ‘Aqdar’ aimed at unifying national awareness and preventive efforts related to the youth in various fields," he said.

Additionally, Major General Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi pointed out that as many as 100 touch screens will be distributed to students as a first stage. The devices feature a wide array of electronic games, books and movies that are currently being compiled in agreement with the relevant entities and will be distributed to the various state schools. "The ministry will be also launching the ‘Aqdar’ reading initiative to encourage reading across the various state schools. Under this initiative, (1000) libraries will be distributed to schools at the countrywide level. The libraries include diverse publications from federal and local government agencies and institutions in order to raise awareness among students and acquaint them with the activities and efforts of these agencies," emphasized Major General Al Nuaimi Moreover, he noted that such initiatives are designated to enhance students’ awareness about the efforts exerted by these institutions, with the aim of strengthening relationship between students and these institutions.

Major General Dr. Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi stressed the importance of such initiatives in developing students’ reading skills, by providing them with access to books on various subjects, to enrich their knowledge, wither via traditional methods or via innovative technological methods. He also underlined the vital importance of such initiatives in facing the lack of reading interest in the Arab World. He added that the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program has adopted the "Aqdar" writing initiative, implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Ketab Foundation. The initiative aims at encouraging creative students and teachers in various scientific, literary and other fields, in accordance with the ‘National Charter for Students’ Awareness’. "This would create a valuable set of student-oriented books penned by students themselves, who are better positioned to understand students’ needs and the nature of the development they go through. These publications will be classified within an organized framework to establish a creative and awareness-raising library made by students and teachers.

For his part, Colonel Dr. Ibrahim Al Dabal, General Coordinator of the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program, stressed that the program operates based on its strategy to unify the existing national efforts implemented by federal and local governmental authorities, as well as the efforts and initiatives of the private sector and the public good institutions. The program currently seeks to launch a number of initiatives to collect and compile these efforts and restructure them. This will facilitate deployment and marketing of these publications for the benefit of other students. It is also endeavouring to promote creativity and innovation by developing reading and writing skills, which are the key components to building a creative ecosystem.