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KITAB launches new competition in the capital’s schools

(Abu Dhabi 05 January 2010): Grade five pupils from across the capital stand the chance of being crowned the ‘Read Aloud Champion’ as the first annual KITAB Read Aloud Competition gets underway this week. 18 schools from the city will participate in the four stage competition, which culminates in a meeting of five finalists to be held during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2010, 2 – 7 March 2010.

Supported by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the Abu Dhabi Education Zone (ADEZ), the books that will be used for the competition have been selected by the competition’s sponsor KALIMA. The four Arabic-language titles have been specially chosen to ensure their suitability for the age group. Copies of the titles will be donated to all participating schools.

“Initiatives such as the KITAB Read Aloud Competition are important tools in the process of achieving our goal of a society that values knowledge and intellect. I wish all participants the best of luck as they set out in the competition,” said His Excellency Jumaa Al Qubaisi, Director of the National Library and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Monika Krauss, KITAB General Manager said: “KITAB is committed to finding new ways to show youngsters just how fun reading can be. We hope that the skills learnt when reading aloud will encourage more children to enjoy books and the opportunities that they can bring.”

Commenting on the initiative, which brings together cultural and educational entities, His Excellency Mohammed Salem Al Dhahiri, Director of Abu Dhabi Education Zone added: “We invite all sectors and segments of our society to work together to enhance the educational system and help nurture a new generation committed to and capable of supporting the continued success of the Emirate’s development and growth.”

Dr Ali bin Tamim, Director of the Kalima Project, said: “Initiatives such the Read Aloud competition help to reinforce and extend the habit of reading. This habit is essential for the generations who will take responsibility for constructing our country’s future. The present initiative follows on from the distribution of Abu Dhabi children’s bags for outstanding pupils in 2009.

Reading their favourite extract from one of the four selected titles in front of a panel of judges, each participant will be rated according to their delivery, technique, understanding and grasp of the tone and mood of the piece. A first-round in-school competition will crown a winner who will progress to the competition’s second round, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Education Zone where the 55 school champions will be whittled down to 20. The final 20 will compete in a third round hosted by ADACH, competing for one of the five final places which will be held at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on 6 March.

Notes to Editors:
About KITAB
KITAB was established in 2007 as a joint venture between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the most successful publishing industry fairs worldwide. KITAB was established in order to raise the bar in the publishing industry in the MENA region and ensure improved professional standards while working towards establishing Abu Dhabi as the publishing hub of the region, through initiatives such as promotional reading campaigns, improving distribution and tackling issues such as piracy and copyrighting.

About KALIMA
KALIMA is a major new translation initiative by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, which funds the translation, publication and distribution of high quality foreign writing into Arabic.

Every year Kalima will select 100 candidate titles of classic, contemporary and modern writing from around the world to be translated into Arabic.

About Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ):
In 1980 Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ) was established to work in integration with the Ministry of Education to hold the responsibility of education in the country. Abu Dhabi Educational Zone establishment came to achieve the will of the father of the Emirates, the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. At the beginning the zone was located in Hamdan street. In 1982-1983 the zone shifted to old airport road. In 2000 a separate building was equipped in Khalidia area to meet the amount of development witnessed of different departments throughout the recent years.

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