Event held as part of National Month of Reading

Abu Dhabi, UAE - 06 March 2019:  In conjunction with the National Month of Reading, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) organised a ceremony at Manarat Al Saadiyat yesterday to honour the winners and participants of the 6th edition of the ‘Creative Reader’ Competition. 

The event, which was attended by HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Acting Executive Director of the Dar Al Kutub Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, panel members of authors and teachers and the students’ families, featured a presentation on the competition and its objectives, along with a short film explaining its evaluation process.

All winners of the competition, who passed the reading and comprehension assessment tests held within the past months, were presented with their awards by HE Ghobash, who also  congratulated all 600 students who participated in the competition. 

HE Ghobash praised all participants for their valuable efforts in further expanding their academic and cultural knowledge and also highlighted the importance of such competitions in motivating participants, further enhancing their creativity and innovation, and strengthening the relationships between students, parents, teachers and others. 

“We aim to support the growth of future generations by teaching them modern reading skills. In addition, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to enhance the role of libraries through the activities held at the various branches,” said HE Ghobash.

Al Ali said in his speech: “DCT Abu Dhabi adopts a strategy which focuses on reading to enrich and enhance life, as reading is considered one of the highest instruments of human development. The ‘Creative Reader’ competition works towards enabling the children of today to become the leaders of tomorrow.

“We are here to celebrate our students’ achievements, recognise their continuous efforts, and continue what the teachers, supervisors and parents have planted in the minds of our young readers. DCT Abu Dhabi will continue to offer programmes, initiatives, and events related to the literary industry, to support knowledge, creativity, and innovation,” he added.

The ‘Creative Reader’ competition targets all Cycle 1 students, between the ages of 6 and 12, and aims to encourage students to read and visit libraries as well as highlighting the importance of Arabic as an intellectual and cultural tool.

This year's edition saw strong attendance, capturing the interest of students and teachers alike, with the competition encouraging the development of students' capabilities and stimulating their creative skills, further strengthening the culture of reading.