'Education': Arab states keen to adopt Kuwait's 'A Child Reads' initiative
The Ministry of Education presented its 'A Child Reads' initiative to Arab representatives in Dubai, drawing widespread praise and interest in replicating the model.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
Widespread praise for the initiative in Dubai... Stories made available via the "Arab Reading Challenge" website
The Ministry of Education presented its experience with the "Child Reads" initiative to representatives of Arab countries participating in the "Arab Reading Challenge" competition in Dubai, amid widespread praise for the initiative and its educational objectives, with several countries expressing their desire to adopt the Kuwaiti experience and implement it.
In a statement to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Friday, the Ministry said that the presentation of the initiative, launched under the directives of Minister of Education Eng. Syed Jalal Al-Tabatabai, was attended by Saed Al-Attar, Head of the Media Office of the Government of the United Arab Emirates and CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and was well-received by the coordinators of the Arab Reading Challenge and representatives of participating countries.
It clarified that the presentation of the experience was requested by Mohammed Al-Qarqawi, Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, after the Arab Reading Challenge management became aware of the Kuwaiti initiative and its educational objectives, and its interest in providing Arab countries with the opportunity to learn about its methodology and assess its applicability in their educational environments.
The Ministry added that Abdullah Al-Barrak, General Coordinator of the Arab Reading Challenge in Kuwait, delivered a presentation covering the initiative's vision and objectives, which aim to instill a love of reading in children from an early age by using storytelling as an educational tool to develop pre-reading skills, enhance vocabulary and expressive abilities, and improve listening, comprehension, and imagination skills.
The presentation included an overview of the Ministry's experience in implementing the initiative and showcased sample stories prepared to achieve its educational objectives. Yusuf Hussein, the monitoring officer in the initiative's stories team, presented the methodology for preparing, writing, and developing the story content.
The Ministry noted that the story content can be adapted to the cultural and educational specifics of each country while maintaining the targeted educational goals and core skills.
It emphasized that representatives of Arab countries praised the initiative's content and implementation mechanisms, with several countries expressing their desire to adopt the experience in coordination with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education and benefit from its expertise.
It revealed the decision to make the stories of the "Child Reads" initiative available on the official website of the Arab Reading Challenge, making them accessible to children in various Arab countries, thereby contributing to expanding the reach of the Kuwaiti educational story content and promoting a culture of reading among the youth.
It stressed the importance of exchanging successful educational experiences and disseminating outstanding educational practices, which enhances joint Arab cooperation and contributes to developing educational systems and nurturing the linguistic and cognitive skills of emerging generations.
It clarified that the "Child Reads" initiative launched during the 2025/2026 academic year under the directives of the Minister of Education, as part of the Arab Reading Challenge project, targeting kindergarten stages to develop early language skills and strengthen children's connection to reading through stories and interactive activities.
The initiative saw participation from 215 kindergartens from various educational districts in Kuwait. The entries went through stages of competitions and specialized educational evaluations, resulting in 26 winners across three categories: 10 children, 10 teachers, and 6 initiative officials.
The Minister of Education honored the winners last May in recognition of their efforts and excellence in implementing the initiative and achieving its educational objectives.
The Ministry affirmed that the Arab interest in the experience reflects the importance of innovative educational initiatives and their role in enhancing Kuwait's presence in Arab educational forums and projects.
For his part, Abdullah Al-Barrak, the General Coordinator of the Arab Reading Challenge in Kuwait, told KUNA that showcasing the “Child Reads” initiative before representatives of Arab countries presents an opportunity to highlight Kuwait’s experience in developing educational initiatives and fostering children’s language skills.
He explained that the initiative targets preschool children by employing stories and interactive activities to instill a love of reading and develop listening, comprehension, and expression skills.
Al-Barrak emphasized that Arab praise for the initiative and the interest of several countries in adopting its model reflect the success of Kuwait’s efforts in this field. He noted that making “Child Reads” stories available through the Arab Reading Challenge website will help broaden their reach and enhance Arab educational cooperation.
