400.000 Syrian students  participate in the Arab Reading Challenge

The number of students participating in the Arab Reading Challenge in its eighth edition across Syria to date has reached 400,000 students, representing 3,800 schools from 16 educational districts in various governorates.

During a virtual meeting that included education directors and challenge coordinators from various governorates, it was noted that the number of participants had doubled several times over what it was last year as a result of the widespread use of the initiative. Schools work to encourage students and achieve the greatest possible participation, while noting initiatives such as visiting libraries and enhancing partnerships with various institutions to spread the culture of reading.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Muhammad Amer Al-Mardini, stressed during the meeting the Ministry’s interest in encouraging students to read because of its importance in building their personalities, developing their knowledge, and enriching their ideas so that it becomes a daily behavior starting from the early childhood stage until the secondary stage. The National House for Reading and Writing was the unifying framework for all these initiatives and activities.

Al-Mardini spoke about the necessity of encouraging all student talents in drawing, arts, or sports, pointing out that the excellence of Syrian students is a product of the cultural accumulation that characterizes Syria.

In turn, the general coordinator of the initiative in Syria, Ali Al-Abbas, stated that the number of participants from the category of persons with disabilities reached 450 participating students this year. He pointed to the increasing demand for participation in the initiative, as it contributes to developing students’ abilities in reading and expression skills, self-learning, critical analytical thinking, and enhancing their cultural awareness.

Al-Abbas explained that there are 7,000 teachers from the Ministry of Education working as an integrated team in this challenge with the aim of encouraging students to read and creating a reading generation capable of building its society.

On November 12, the Ministry of Education announced the opening of participation for students from various educational levels in the eighth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge initiative for the year 2023-2024, which was launched by the United Arab Emirates.

Souha Suleiman