Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Egyptian student Mayar Mohamed Ragab Osman, who won first place and the title of Arab Reading Challenge Champion in the competition’s tenth edition in 2026, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She emerged victorious among more than 40 million students from 60 countries, in one of the largest educational and cultural initiatives across the Arab world.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel Latif, as well as the student’s parents, Mohamed Osman and Mai Abdel Aziz. The president congratulated Mayar on her remarkable achievement and praised her family’s role in providing a supportive environment that helped her reach this level of excellence.
During the meeting, El-Sisi awarded the student the Order of Merit, Second Class, in recognition of her achievement. He stressed that the Egyptian state is committed to highlighting outstanding young talents and honoring gifted and high-achieving individuals across various fields, encouraging younger generations to pursue excellence and achieve further success.
The president also emphasized the importance of the Arabic language and the need to improve its teaching standards in schools across the country, describing it as a fundamental pillar of national identity, culture and knowledge.
More Than 40 Million Participants in the Tenth Edition
The tenth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge recorded unprecedented participation since the initiative was launched in 2015. A total of 40,286,428 students from 60 countries took part, representing a 24 percent increase compared with the ninth edition, which attracted more than 32 million students from 50 countries.
The competition involved 138,426 schools and 161,507 supervisors and coordinators. It also included 74,062 participants in the People of Determination category.
In Egypt, the qualifying rounds organized under the Ministry of Education attracted 17,616,289 students from 30,589 schools, supervised by 41,505 coordinators. These figures highlight the scale of Egypt’s participation in the regional educational initiative.
Mayar Osman secured first place in the Egyptian national competition before qualifying for the final rounds in Dubai. Having read more than 60 books across various fields, she ultimately won the Arab championship title, distinguishing herself among thousands of contestants who competed through the different qualifying stages.
How Does the Arab Reading Challenge Work?
Launched in 2015 by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, the Arab Reading Challenge aims to promote reading in Arabic among school students and establish books as an essential part of their educational and cultural development.
The competition follows a structured reading program involving several stages. Students begin with school-level qualifications, followed by regional and national rounds, before reaching the final competition, which brings together representatives from participating countries.
Participants are required to read books in Arabic, summarize their content and document their reading activities in specially designed reading passports. This process helps develop comprehension, analytical thinking, critical reasoning, communication skills and cultural awareness.
The initiative’s objectives go beyond increasing the number of books students read. It seeks to establish reading as a lasting habit and a continuous source of knowledge, intellectual development and stronger language skills among younger generations.
The competition includes several categories, among them the Arab Reading Challenge Champion, the People of Determination category, Arab communities abroad, as well as awards recognizing outstanding schools and supervisors.
The overall champion receives a financial prize of 500,000 UAE dirhams, while the second- and third-place winners receive 100,000 and 70,000 dirhams respectively.
An Egyptian Achievement Beyond National Borders
Mayar Osman’s victory highlights the ability of young Egyptian talents to achieve distinction in Arab and international competitions. It also underscores the importance of investing in education, culture and reading as essential tools for human development.
During the meeting, President El-Sisi listened to a verse of poetry recited by Mayar Osman, reflecting her interest in the Arabic language and her literary abilities. A commemorative photograph was also taken with the student and her parents.
For her part, Mayar Osman expressed her sincere gratitude to the president for receiving and honoring her. She said that the recognition and support provide strong motivation to continue pursuing excellence, achieve further success and represent Egypt at Arab and international events.
She added that this encouragement also sends a positive message to talented young people, inspiring them to continue learning, reading and working toward greater achievements.
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