DOHA: More than 1,000 school children will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Reading Lesson’ tomorrow at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
The children aged between 5 and 10 years and their teachers from Independent Arabic schools across Qatar will come together to break the current Guinness World Record by the USA with 451 children participating in one reading lesson.
The event is under the patronage of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) and inspired by the annual Unesco’s World Book Day (WBD). It reflects education as a vital component of the Qatar National Vision 2030 human development pillar and also supports the preservation of the Arabic language as core to national cultural heritage. Under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme RasGas has joined with Maktaba Qatar (Maktaba) and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) to host the event.
Fauzia Abdalaziz Al Khater, Director of the Education Institute, SEC said: “The SEC is proud to see different organisations like RasGas, Maktaba, and BQFP working together with the collective goal to promote education through this imaginative reading record for Qatar.”
Ali Zayed Al Marri, RasGas’ Public Affairs Manager, said: “Our collaboration with the SEC, Maktaba and Bloomsbury recognises reading as a vital educational tool that helps build a more cohesive and productive society in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2011-16”.
During the event, the children will take part in an hour-long Arabic reading lesson with BQFP children’s book Anger, written by Sarah Medina. The reading lesson will be supervised by Guinness World Records adjudicators who will verify, on site, if the attempt has been successful.
RasGas entered into its pioneering partnership with Maktaba in 2013 to promote reading and literacy, especially in Arabic, among young generations. Through its interactive website and mobile applications, Maktaba offers educational Arabic books aimed at young children and their families.
Sarah Champa Al Dafa, founder of Maktaba said, “Together with RasGas and BQFP, and under the patronage of the SEC, we are delighted to take part in this attempt at a Guinness World Record for the largest children’s Arabic reading lesson. We believe this attempt underscores Qatar’s commitment to cultivating a love of reading in Arabic amongst future generations, which, numerous studies have shown is an important predictor of future success.”
Arend Kuster, Director of BQFP, said: “Promoting the love of reading and literacy in Qatar and the region is one of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation’s key missions. We are delighted to support this event by designing the lesson content and to donate special edition books to all our participants. This is a wonderful way to get children excited about reading and to be involved in what we hope will be a wonderful achievement in Qatar.”
The Peninsula
