Aisha Nizar Nazim, a student, won the title of champion in the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge in Iraq.
A total of 1,339,270 students from 38,100 schools took part in the competition, which was overseen by 16,310 supervisors.
The students played a key role in the success of the ninth edition of the world's largest Arabic-language reading event, organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation since its launch in 2015.
The 8-year-old girl, Aisha Nazim, is a student at Zaha Hadid School for Excellence in Nineveh, was announced as the winner during the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge.
The ceremony was held in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and was attended by Dr Ibrahim Namis Al Jubouri, the Minister of Education, Adnan Al Sarraj, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Education Affairs, Mohammed Dayea Al Azzawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Administrative Affairs and Chairman of the Higher Committee, Mohammed Saleh Al Taniji, Acting Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Baghdad, Dr Fawzan Al Khalidi, Director of Programmes and Initiatives at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation.
Also in attendance were a number of officials and educators in charge of the Arab Reading Challenge initiative and a large crowd of parents of the participating students.
A 6-year-old girl, Maria Hassan Ajil, a student at Al-Far'a Girls' School in the Salah Al Din district, was announced as the winner of the People of Determination category at the closing ceremony.
She was one of 450 students who participated in the qualifying rounds.
The Top ten
The judging committees selected Aisha Nizar Nazim as the champion of the ninth Arab Reading Challenge at the Republic of Iraq level from the following top ten finalists: Muntadhar Ahmed Mardan (fifth grade, Al Insaf School, Karbala region), Akram Khalil Abdullah (tenth grade, Al Dhakirin Intermediate School, Kirkuk), Fatima Mohammed (eleventh grade, Shams Al Hurriyah Preparatory School, Najaf), Yusr Hamza Farhan (eleventh grade, Al Nabaa Al Azim Secondary School, Qadisiyah), Rawan Muntadhar Mansour, (the tenth grade at Haifa Intermediate School for Girls, Babylon), Hadi Hassan Hadi (the eleventh grade at Al Nahrawan School for Boys (Rusafa 3), Aya Ziad Subhi (the eleventh grade at Al Rafidain School in Kirkuk), Hussein Ali Ahmed ( the tenth grade at Al Dhakirin School in Kirkuk), and Haider Ali Abdulaziz (the seventh grade at Al Muhwebin School in Najaf.
A record 32,231,000 students from 50 countries and 132,112 schools took part in the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge initiative, which was overseen by 161,004 supervisors.
Vital Role
Dr Ibrahim Namis Al Jubouri, the Minister of Education, praised the vital role played by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives Foundation in empowering future Arab generations by providing access to the knowledge, science and skills needed to shape the future. He also praised the Arab Reading Challenge's remarkable success and achievements in this area, commending its outstanding influence in promoting a culture of reading and developing the capabilities of Arab students.
He said, "We are proud of this new participation in the Arab Reading Challenge initiative. Through their interaction with this knowledge-based competition and their outstanding performance, 133,920 male and female students have proven the development of Iraq's educational and cultural landscape and the effectiveness of the Ministry of Education's plans to improve student performance and enhance the status of the Arabic language."
"This is in line with Iraq's rich cultural heritage and the creativity of its people in various fields. It also strengthens our confidence in a brighter future for our country and our Arab nation," he said.
Dr Ibrahim Al Jubouri congratulated student Aisha Nizar Nazim and all the other winners, as well as the participating students and their families. He also thanked the schools and teaching staff across Iraq who took part.
The Minister also thanked the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation and everyone who contributed to the qualifiers of the ninth round.