Major reading contest concludes in Cairo

Mona Ismail and Mohamed Zain

Egyptian Acting Minister of Education and Technical Education, Reda Hegazi, described on Sunday relations between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a ‘model’ for strong bilateral relations in the Arab region.

“These relations have deep roots in the history of the two states,” Minister Hegazi said.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the 8th Arab Reading Challenge at Al-Manara International Conference Centre in Nasr City, Minister Hegazi expressed pride in and gratitude for the great success achieved by the Arab Reading Challenge Project, and the tireless efforts and generous patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum to encourage reading among school pupils in the Arab world.

He referred to the commitment to encourage over a million school pupils to read 50 million books annually.

During the ceremony, the Egyptian minister honoured winning pupils from different parts of Egypt.

He also honoured distinguished school supervisors participating in the competition for the academic year 2023/2024.

“The Reading Challenge Project achieves Egypt’s 2030 Vision for sustainable development,” the minister said.

He added that this vision aims to provide a distinguished education that boosts pluralism and produces qualified learners.

He expressed pride in the participation of over 16 million pupils in the Arab Reading Challenge.

This, he said, is more than half of the number of pupils enrolled in Egypt’s schools (25.5 million).

Minister Hegazi referred to his ministry’s strategic plan for 2024/2029, which focuses on building the capacities of Egyptian students.

“What we see today shows that we are moving on the right path to building people’s capacities,” the minister said.

He said school exams are no longer an end unto themselves. The minister noted that the educational process now aims to develop the skills of the pupils and enhance their abilities and knowledge.

“Our children are now more capable of expressing their ideas freely,” Minister Hegazi said.

He expressed happiness at the achievements made by boys and girls in the competition.

Around 1183 pupils won at the educational directorate level, including 20 disabled pupils.

Minister Hegazi considered the results of the competition as testament to growing awareness among school pupils about the importance of reading and its role in refining their personalities.

Deputy UAE Ambassador to Cairo, Saleh al-Saadi, described the Reading Challenge as the ‘largest’ reading contest in the region.

Egypt, he said, was and will remain the Arabs’ cultural hub.

“Egyptian-Emirati relations will remain a model for brotherly states to emulate,” the UAE diplomat said.