His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated winners of UAE Arab Reading Challenge in a ceremony held at the Higher Colleges of Technology – Men’s College.
17-year-old Emirati student Amna Mohammed Al Mansouri from Abu Dhabi won the UAE Arab Reading Challenge 2023. Al Mansouri won the Arab Reading Challenge Champion in the UAE, as country-level qualifiers for the seventh edition of Arab Reading Challenge. The Challenge saw 514,506 students participating from 921 schools, overseen by 1,578 supervisors.
Al Mansouri, from Aisha bint Abi Baker School in Abu Dhabi, was crowned during a major ceremony held at the Higher Colleges of Technology – Men’s College in the presence of HE Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools, as well as Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives alongside other officials and educators overseeing the Arab Reading Challenge.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “My heartfelt congratulations to Amna Mohammad Al Mansoori and her parents, for winning the first place in the UAE challenge after reading 128 books during the academic year. Two years ago, Amna lost the ability to walk, but that did not stop her. She soldiered ahead and sailed across the vast ocean of knowledge and literature. The challenge was the beginning of a life-changing experience.”Amna can walk again
“Today, Amna can walk once again, won the Reading Challenge and authored two stories. In a few days, she will represent the UAE in the International Physics Olympiad in Tokyo. Amna’s challenge was to rebuild herself and regain control of her life. This is what we want for all UAE youth,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said.
“I have been reading since I was young. It is hard to tell how many books I have read till now. In the past two years I have read so many books especially classical, scientific, philosophical. For the challenge I read 131 books at least. There was a detailed judging that happened within our school, our emirate and then the national level. I look forward to taking part in the bigger Arab Reading Challenge,” said Al Mansouri, a Grade 11 student, is a fan of author Jokha Alharthi of Oman.
Sheikh Mohammed also congratulated Gharib Al Yamahi, a grade 12 student from Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi Secondary School in Fujairah who won the Challenge title in the People of Determination category.
Al Yamahi is blind, but has several achievements to his credit. “He has read 130 braille books, writes articles and is both an articulate speaker and outstanding student. When a blind person reads 130 books, those with healthy eyesight must look again at what they read. We wish Gharib great success. His determination and willpower are living proof that in the UAE, nothing is impossible,” Sheikh Mohammed.
Image Courtesy Gulf News
