When Atika bint Zaid School in Khorfakkan was crowned 'Distinguished School' at the ninth Arab Reading Challenge last week, it was the culmination of years of dedication to building a reading culture that goes far beyond competition.

The school received the prestigious award and Dh1 million prize from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The secret to the school's success lies in its comprehensive approach. From day one, the school's leadership established a clear vision: to make reading a daily practice and authentic culture within the school, not merely a seasonal project.

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This vision was translated into 73 sub-initiatives under five main pillars, creating a systematic framework that involved every stakeholder in the educational ecosystem.

“We formed a reading leadership team that included administration, teachers, parents, senior citizens, people of determination, and various community institutions to support and monitor implementation,” explained Hind Ahmed Al Shehhi, the school's principal.

The team developed weekly and monthly plans to enhance reading in classrooms and lessons, linking them to internal competitions, homework assignments, and both curricular and extracurricular activities.

The school implemented innovative motivational programmes that made reading irresistible to students. These included the 'Reading Ambassador' initiative, the 'Reader's Passport', a daily reading hour, library corners in hallways, classroom challenges between students, and displaying student work throughout the school's corridors and wings.

All classrooms were connected via OneDrive to monitor students' progress in completing their reading passports, with weekly recognition ceremonies every Thursday for 'reading stars'.

Teacher training was another critical component. The school conducted workshops to equip educators with skills in guiding students towards critical reading and book summarisation techniques.

Parents were actively engaged through the 'My Family Reads' initiative, with regular follow-ups on the number of books read at home.

The school also created an attractive reading environment inside classrooms, the library, and corridors, ensuring that students felt reading was part of their daily routine rather than an assignment.

This is the school's second victory in the Arab Reading Challenge. During the fifth edition amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the school won first place at the national level and pioneered the conversion of all reading challenge passports to electronic format-an innovation that was subsequently adopted by the Ministry of Education and rolled out across schools nationwide.

“Our primary goal was not winning itself, but rather creating a generation of readers and thinkers who possess the tools for the future,” said Al Shehhi.“The victory came as a natural result of a culture we have cultivated with faith and hard work over the years through plans with a sustainability approach.”

The moment of victory was unforgettable for the entire school community.“It was a moment of pride that cannot be forgotten, where tears of joy mixed with achievement. The students felt that their hard work was crowned with success, and the teachers' joy was indescribable because they saw the fruit of their efforts realised before the entire Arab world,” Al Shehhi recalled.

“We all felt that we did not just win a title, but we won a value that will remain in the minds of our children for life. We achieved a national accomplishment that adds to the UAE's achievements,” she added.

The impact of this reading culture is evident across multiple dimensions. Students have shown increased self-confidence when speaking and presenting, including during morning assemblies.

Their linguistic and writing skills have developed noticeably, and their academic performance has improved across all subjects, not just language.

Most importantly, the school has built reading personalities capable of making informed decisions and understanding the world around them according to their age and educational stage.

The school's commitment to reading extends throughout the year, with the reading plan divided into three stages: before the challenge, during the challenge, and after the challenge - ensuring continuous engagement with literacy.

Al Shehhi offered advice to different stakeholders in the educational community.“To parents: Reading at home is the most powerful gift you give your children. Make books a part of family life like food, sleep, and play,” she said.

“To teachers: Your words create passion or extinguish it. Plant a love of knowledge before the curriculum, and you will find an excellent student driven by passion, not pressure. To leaders: Create environments that ignite curiosity in students. Real education is not based on rote learning, but on reading that expands the mind and builds the person.”

The school has also been recognised with other prestigious awards, including the Khalifa Educational Award for the 2025 academic year and first place in the 'Most Beautiful School Environment' category.

The Arab Reading Challenge, launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015, is the world's largest Arabic literacy initiative.

This year's edition witnessed unprecedented participation, with over 32 million students from 50 countries, representing 132,112 schools and guided by 161,004 supervisors.

In addition to Atika bint Zaid School, Lebanon's Tripoli Al-Haddadin School was jointly awarded the Distinguished School title.

The total prize pool for this year's challenge stood at Dh11 million, making it the largest and most comprehensive

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