Muscat – Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Community Initiatives Committee of Muscat International Book Fair, has announced the launch of National Reading Programme. The initiative aims to foster a culture of reading among students, improve language skills and enhance critical thinking across Oman.

Scheduled to run throughout the 2024/2025 academic year, the programme will feature a range of activities, including an annual reading competition designed to encourage intellectual growth and instil a lifelong love for reading.

An official at Ministry of Education informed that the programme seeks to raise awareness on the importance of reading while instilling values and promoting active engagement with books. “It aims to make reading a daily habit, develop students’ linguistic and creative skills, and nurture critical thinking and innovation.”

The programme’s reading competition targets students in two categories. For grades five to seven, participants start by reading three books in Arabic at the school level and summarising two of them. Progressing to the governorate stage, students read five books and summarise three. At the national level, they are required to read seven books and provide summaries for four.

For students in grades eight to ten, the requirements are more extensive. At the school level, participants must read at least three books, each of minimum 65 pages. At the governorate level, they read six books and summarise four. At the national stage, students are tasked with reading eight books and submitting summaries of five.

Book summaries must adhere to a specified format, including details about the book, its main ideas and the student’s reflections. The competition progresses through school, governorate and national stages, with each directorate nominating two students per category, culminating in 44 participants at the national level. From these, 11 finalists will advance to the final round, where top winners will be selected.

The competition winners will be announced at the 2025 Muscat International Book Fair.

The programme highlights Oman’s commitment to encouraging critical thinkers and lifelong learners while celebrating the enriching power of reading.