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As one of the best British schools in Sharjah, the International School of Creative Science - Muwaileh stresses the importance of reading by prioritising literacy and creative skills amongst all our students. A large part of our curriculum is designed to foster our students’ imagination through books, turning them into voracious readers devoted to the written word.  The results of a recent reading competition demonstrate this fact.

The Arab Reading Challenge encourages students from Years 1 to 12 across the Arab world to read over 50 (or more) books in one year. Broken into five stages, children read five books at each stage and write detailed summaries before moving to the next stage. In 2018, over 10.5 million students from 52,000 schools located in 44 countries took up the challenge. The challenge is meant to increase literacy awareness, foster Arabic language skills, and create a sense of Arabic identity. The winner of the challenge receives a cash prize worth Dh1 million.

We are proud to announce that one of our students, Qusai Rowad, secured fifth place across UAE in 2018’s Arab Reading Challenge. Qusai was honoured at the competition’s closing ceremony in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Overall, a young child should read up about 50 books per year. Benefits from reading include developing critical thinking skills, building comfort and familiarity with the written word, and enhancing the ability to analyse and assess arguments. Reading can also open up other viewpoints and foster empathy because children are able to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Young readers also build vocabulary by encountering new words, and they have more active imaginations. Additionally, children who read regularly are often more articulate, and develop strong problem-solving and logical thinking abilities because reading, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, familiarizes them with the concept of overcoming obstacles and how to examine different situations.

Our dedication to increasing children’s interest in reading is one of the reasons why the International School of Creative Science - Muwaileh is one of the best British schools in Sharjah. Students have access to a wide array of literature housed in our libraries, which complements our comprehensive language arts curriculum and the school- and nationwide competitions and campaigns that raise literacy awareness.