• H.E. Ahmad Julfar: The initiative will create a supportive knowledge environment that encourages reading and education.

The Knowledge Fund Establishment and the Emirates Literature Foundation have launched the Read for Pleasure initiative, which aims to promote reading on a wide scale across Dubai Schools.

The initiative is designed to embed a culture of reading, highlight the importance of the practice among school students of all levels in the emirate, and implement an integrated strategy that revolves around inspiring a love of reading among students and establishing it as a daily habit. It builds on the collaboration agreement signed by His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of the Knowledge Fund Establishment, and Isobel Abulhoul OBE, Founder, Advisor and Trustee of Emirates Literature Foundation, at the Fund’s headquarters.

The agreement stipulates that the two parties will work together to implement programmes and organise events as part of the initiative, which will be launched starting from the upcoming academic year in September 2022. The initiative seeks to promote a love of reading among Dubai school students by implementing a series of actions, from supporting school libraries and creating ideal spaces for reading in the classroom, to compiling comprehensive reading lists in Arabic and English and providing books suitable for all ages and cultures.

Furthermore, the Read for Pleasure initiative will provide an opportunity for teachers and parents to participate in events and activities with the students, and enable schools to serve as a platform for authors of children’s books to talk about their works.

H.E. Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar, Chairman of the Board at the Knowledge Fund Establishment and Member of the Steering Committee of the Dubai Schools project, said: “The Knowledge Fund Establishment is committed to providing all the necessary requirements to strengthen the educational system in the Emirate of Dubai, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai. We strive to create an ideal educational environment in Dubai schools, and to that end, we have launched knowledge initiatives that serve students and encourage creativity and innovation. The Read for Pleasure initiative is one such tool that is set to create a stimulating knowledge environment that encourages reading and learning.”

For his part, H.E. Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar noted: “The partnership with Emirates Literature Foundation will strengthen our role at the Knowledge Fund Establishment, where we work to enhance the positive impact of educational initiatives that support knowledge and literacy. With the Read for Pleasure initiative, we will aim to embed reading as a habit among our students, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on their academic and professional success.”

Meanwhile, Isobel Abulhoul OBE said: “Reading is a basic and necessary skill for success in all areas of life. Our partnership with the Knowledge Fund Establishment is a strategic one, designed to help us exchange our resources and experiences, and use them to empower an inspiring generation that is enthusiastic about literature and reading. We are firm believers in the saying ‘Read to lead’.”