Male and female students from the United Arab Emirates continue to cement the country's position at the forefront of the Arab cultural and knowledge scene, having achieved distinguished results in the tenth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge. Their performance reflected the depth of their passion for reading, their command of the Arabic language, and their ability to engage in dialogue and express their ideas with confidence and competence.
The UAE-level national finals witnessed fierce competition among an elite group of students from across the country's emirates. More than 830,000 male and female students representing 1,250 schools took part in the challenge under the supervision of 2,120 male and female supervisors. The competitions were marked by a high degree of parity in levels, and showcased a reading generation that believes knowledge is the true path to building the future, and that books are an essential partner in shaping character, developing skills, and honing experiences.
Students of determination also continued to write exceptional stories of willpower and resolve, affirming that challenges cannot stand in the way of ambition, and that reading was for them a wide window onto the world, a means of building self-confidence, achieving accomplishments, and inspiring others.
The list of UAE champions in the tenth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge reflects a striking diversity of interests and ambitions: among them are authors, broadcasters, innovators, poets, content creators, volunteers, and those who dream of becoming doctors, astronauts, or leaders who serve their country. They all agree that reading is not merely a passing hobby, but a way of life and a tool for building the individual and shaping the future.
Student Dana Adel Al Zarouни, a sixth-grader at the National United Private School in the Khalifa A district of Abu Dhabi, has charted a distinguished path in the Arab Reading Challenge, having read 250 books across a variety of fields and made reading a constant companion that has helped shape her personality and bolster her self-confidence.
Dana's passion for books began in her earliest years, when she would listen to stories read to her by her mother, and from those moments a strong bond with books was forged — one that deepened through her participation in the Arab Reading Challenge, which opened wider horizons of learning, expression, and creativity.
Dana affirms that her participation in the challenge was not merely a competition, but a milestone that changed much about her personality. She became more discerning in her choice of books, moving from reading stories to novels, biographies, and psychology books. She also learned the importance of variety in reading and of not limiting herself to a single field, no matter how much she loved it.
Dana has achieved several accomplishments along the way: she placed ninth at the emirate level in Abu Dhabi in the ninth season of the Arab Reading Challenge, participated in the Chevron Cup for Readers at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and ranked among the top finishers, and distinguished herself in poetry recitation competitions. She has also authored two novels, one of which was published under the title Fi Mustawda' Asrariha (In the Repository of Her Secrets), and is preparing to release her second novel, Athl, in addition to her media appearances on Sharjah Television.
Dana says: