Mohammed Ali Al Yamahi from Fujairah became the winner of the UAE Arab Reading Challenge on Monday, July 4.
The Emirati student became the winner among 355,000 participants from around the UAE and will represent the nation in the global competition in 2022.
Al Nouf Elementary School in Sharjah was declared as the best school in the United Arab Emirates, while Mona Shaheen, a teacher in Sharjah, was announced as the best teacher in the nation.
Mohammed, aged 17, while speaking about the finals in October, said, “We will win and will make sure the flag of the UAE flies high. I joined this competition to gain experience and to read more books and show people that reading is beautiful.”
He said that he learned something new from every book about how to manage his time and become a better student.
Mohammed, a student at Hamad bin Abdullah Al Sharqi School in Fujairah, read over 200 books to qualify for the competition.
Mohammed said that he used to spend 4 to 5 hours reading every day. During the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent several hours reading and as per him, it was the best activity that he could do in his free time.
When asked if he has set a target of how many books he would like to complete before the final challenge, Mohammed stated he has not bound himself by a number and would love to read as many books as possible till that time.
The Arab Reading Challenge was first launched by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in 2015 to motivate a million young people to read a minimum of 50 books every year.
A total prize money of Dh11 million has been allotted for the Arab Reading Challenge.