Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Honours the Winners of the First Edition of the “Literacy Challenge”
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation have honoured the winners of the first edition of the “Literacy Challenge”.
Their Highnesses congratulated the recipients of the award - which seeks to educate 30 million illiterate Arab youths and children by 2030 and enhance the knowledge and skills of young Arabs across the region - during the fifth Knowledge Summit, which was held on December 5-6, 2018, at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the title ‘Youth and the Future of the Knowledge Economy.’
The Ministry of Education in the Arab Republic of Egypt received the Literacy Challenge award under the government category for its role to update and develop the system of pre-university education in Egypt, within the framework of the country’s national education project.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) received the award under the category of international institutions and organisations for its quality projects to eradicate illiteracy around the world.
Dr. Shefa Hassan, Director of the UNESCO Chair and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) at the University of Science and Technology of the Republic of Sudan, received the individuals’ Literacy Challenge award for having established a comprehensive science and technology literacy project for women in Sudan. Targeting the three states of the Red Sea, South Darfur and West Kordofan, the project benefited 2,420 women.
The Literacy Challenge seeks to make up for the traditional education opportunities that certain individuals miss out on and was devised as an instrument to combat what is considered to be a serious issue plaguing the region. It also aims to narrow the gender education gap.
The award scheme aspires to help youth and adults alike develop their knowledge and skills, improve their qualifications, enrich their culture, and upgrade their social and economic wellbeing. Contestants in the challenge are evaluated based on the number of individuals they were able to educate. The beneficiary that manages to achieve the most progress over the course of the year is also eligible for the award.