Education Minister: 'A Child Reads' Initiative Helps Nurture Talents and Develop Abilities of Kindergarten Students
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Education Minister Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei affirmed that the 'A Child Reads' initiative helps nurture the talents of kindergarten students and develop their abilities, expressing his hope that Kuwait will lead the Arab region with this initiative.
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
Kuwait’s Minister of Education, Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabaee, confirmed on Wednesday that the “Child Reads” initiative contributes to nurturing the talents of preschool children and developing their abilities from an early age, thereby preparing them to continue excelling in subsequent educational stages. He expressed his hope that Kuwait would lead the Arab region with this initiative.
Speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after the ceremony launching the second season of the initiative, Minister Al-Tabatabaee stated that focusing on the preschool stage forms the foundation for building a new generation. He added, “The idea behind the initiative emerged during a meeting with the Arab Reading Challenge team, after it became clear that the Challenge targets elementary, middle, and secondary school students, which necessitated creating opportunities for preschool children to participate.”
He praised the achievements of the Arab Reading Challenge during the 2025–2026 academic year, including winning three awards, and commended the success of the “Child Reads” initiative, calling for expanded efforts to discover children’s abilities within preschools and to pay attention to the diversity of their talents and reading specializations.
For his part, Abdullah Al-Barak, the General Coordinator of the “Child Reads” initiative, said in his speech at the ceremony that the initiative is an extension of Kuwait’s leadership in science, knowledge, culture, and initiatives that serve the Arab human being. He explained that it aims to develop children’s pre-reading skills, based on the belief that building a reader begins before learning letters and sentences.
He clarified that “Child Reads” is the first government initiative whose stories have been included in the Arab Reading Challenge library, allowing children across the Arab world to benefit from them, as they contain values that reflect Kuwaiti society.
He expressed pride in the recognition and attention the Kuwaiti experience has received from Arab participants, emphasizing that this reflects the initiative’s value and its role in developing children’s skills and strengthening their connection to reading from their earliest years.
