Syria wins the “Arab Reading Challenge” 2024  

Dubai, (ST) – Student Hatem Al-Turkawi, from Hama, won the title of the 8th Arab Reading Challenge Champion which was held by the United Arab Emirates. Al-Turkawi won the title along with Kadi Al-Khathmai from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Salsabil Sawalha from Palestine,  after the votes they received resulted in a tie in the public voting percentage during the final rounds held at the Dubai Opera House.

The coordinator of the schools for excelled students at the Ministry of Education, Rabie Ahmed, also won the title of Distinguished Supervisor in the Arab Reading Challenge in its eighth season.

The Arab Reading Challenge competition, which was launched in the 2015-2016 academic year, requires reading 50 books as a preliminary condition to enter the competition. More than 28 million male and female students from 50 countries representing more than 229 thousand schools participated in the competition’s eighth season, under the supervision of more than 154 thousand male and female supervisors.

During a phone call with SANA correspondent, student Hatem Al-Turkawi expressed his pride and honor for representing his country Syria and raising its flag high in international forums, outperforming more than 28 million students.

He stressed that he was confident of achieving first place because ambition and perseverance are the way leading to success.

The final qualifiers were attended on the Syrian side by the President of the Arab Writers Union, Dr. Mohammed Al-Hourani, and the General Coordinator of the initiative in Syria, Ali Al-Abbas.

The Arab Reading Challenge, organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, aims to consolidate the culture of reading in the Arabic language, develop mechanisms for comprehension and self-expression in correct Arabic, enrich the content available in the Arabic language, and enhance Arabic position as a language of thought, science, research, and creativity.

Raghda Sawas