(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Want to Read initiative was developed to promote education among children staying in hospitals and to enable them to pursue their studies.
A staff member helping a child patient in selecting the reading material provided as part of the ‘Want to Read’ initiative launched at Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi. — Supplied photo
Shaikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan has stressed the importance of the ‘Want to Read’ initiative which was launched last January to encourage children unable to attend school due to illnesses to pursue their education.
The initiative which was launched in Mafraq Hospital was developed to promote education among children staying in hospitals and to enable them to pursue their studies.
Shaikha Shamma said the programme’s long-term goals are to enhance the education of children by reading. She said it has brought happiness and joy to the children that she met during her recent visit to the hospital’s new paediatric unit.
When asked if there were any agreements or memoranda of understanding planned with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) or the Ministry of Education to disseminate the idea to schools Shaikha Shamma said “At this stage ideas are being looked into. As we are all aware the summer months in the UAE can at times be very difficult. We are considering the merits and practicality of extending the programme with the participation of schools to include summer reading creative writing and book clubs.
“The benefits of continuing education throughout the summer months within the comfort of peer review and the safety of schools is one that is being considered. Long-term there is a natural extension of such seasonal programmes to be available all year round but we need to do our research first.”
When asked about how such initiatives contribute to the creation of a suitable environment for youth to learn to love reading and strengthen their abilities she said “Everything has to start somewhere. We have decided to start with the most vulnerable of society hospitalised children. Once our mission is underway and has been rolled out further we will aim to reach a larger section of the UAE youth by targeting other groups and will continue this process of progressive rollouts until we have a very broad reach within our community.
“We need to understand that the provision of reading rooms is not a primary educational objective but rather an additional resource to further the primary education provided in schools and as such needs to be judged using different criteria. Fun while reading and writing is to be encouraged.”