One school pupil is set to receive a Dh500,000 ($136,129) cash prize as the winner of the Arab Reading Challenge on Monday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, will attend the awards ceremony, which will crown the winner of the fifth competition from among five finalists.
The Arab Reading champion will be selected based on the pupil's ability to articulate general knowledge, their critical thinking and communication skills, plus the diversity of books they selected.
The event will also feature the announcement of the Outstanding Supervisor and Best School awards, with winners claiming Dh300,000 and Dh1 million respectively.
Book-loving pupils are required to read and summarise 50 books to qualify for the challenge.
Children are evaluated at class and school level in countries, then by educational district, until eventually 10 pupils are chosen from each country around the world. The national winners are then chosen from that group, and the champion selected from those individuals.
A growing challenge
This year's competition attracted 21 million participants, the highest number in the challenge’s history, from 52 countries, including 14 Arab and 38 foreign countries with an Arab diaspora.
This is compared to 13.5 million participants from 49 countries in 2019.
It also drew 120,000 supervisors, who helped pupils to improve their reading and summarising skills, compared to 99,000 supervisors in the fourth edition, while 96,000 schools joined this year’s challenge compared to 67,000 last time.
The Best School will be selected based on the ability to create a nurturing and supportive environment to encourage students to read, and the efforts made to foster the reading habit among students.
The Outstanding Supervisor award will be given based on efforts made to support students and guide them to develop critical thinking and communication skills.
Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the Arab Reading Challenge aims to create a knowledge movement to bring together millions of Arab readers from across the world, and to nurture an enlightened generation capable of building better Arab societies.
Viewers will be able to watch the announcement on the MBC Channel at 8.30pm UAE time on September 20.
2019's Arab Reading Challenge winners - in pictures
The specs
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Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
