UAE- Sheikh Hamdan's office launches initiative to promote reading

DUBAI 30th December 2015 (WAM) -- The Office of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai has launched a special initiative to encourage employees to read in a quick response to the initiative 'Year of Reading 2016' launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan .

The new initiative of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan comes with a view to strengthening the general and specialised competencies of staff whereby the initiative gives all employees the right to read at work three hours a week maximum each according to their abilities and orientations.

The Crown Prince of Dubai's office gained the honour of becoming the first government and national entity to adopt and implement the initiative of His Highness the President. It has always been a forerunner in the implementation of several initiatives and ideas such as the launch of the Ideas Management System on the occasion of the naming of 2015 as the Year of Innovation.

Saif bin Markham Ketbi Director-General of the Office of the Crown Prince said "This innovative initiative encouraging staff to read aims to deepen the culture of reading among all employees since reading is the most successful means to the development of intellectual and linguistic abilities of the individual that contributes in the march of excellence. It also deepens the capacity of staff on the combination of reading and new technologies as well as to take it as a basis for creativity and innovation in all areas of work".

"Reading is the key element of civilisation in our country which is distinguished by the facts of modern history establishing cultural institutions including public libraries' Al Ketbi said. "The book exhibitions in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and the declaration of Sharjah as the capital of Islamic Culture in 2014 all enhance the future vision of the UAE that is represented in the National Agenda 2021."

He continued "Everyone is aware how difficult it is to read in the age of social media everyone wants quick information and has no time for serious reading so we launched the initiative to integrate it with the Ideas Management System launched recently at the office and we recognise that this is an investment not a waste of time as some might think."

Abdullah Mohammed Al Habtoor Director of Human Resources and Administration said that the move aims to promote the thought of leadership and instill the spirit of perseverance stimulating creativity while increasing knowledge and experience.

Al Habtoor said that the selection of three hours a week to implement the initiative at the Crown Prince of Dubai's office came in accordance with the accepted standards whereby an average person will read up to 30 pages an hour which means that three hours a week is sufficient to complete reading one book every month and these hours are deducted from working time.

He added that the Crown Prince of Dubai's office is obliged to provide all facilities needed for employees to read as they like such as a healthy environment as well as appropriate incentives.