Khaberni - The Minister of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Dr. Azmi Mahafaza, sent a message to the educational community and students on the occasion of the National Reading Day, which was designated by the Cabinet as "the twenty-ninth of September" of each year as a national reading day, emphasizing its importance in human development, broadening horizons, and raising awareness levels, as well as enriching knowledge, with the goal of encouraging everyone to read and enhance its presence in society and make it a daily habit.
Dr. Mahafaza confirmed that the choice of the Jordanian Hashemite government of the twenty-ninth of September of each year as a national reading day is a significant signal from it to enhance the status of reading in our beloved homeland, and to focus on it as a source of knowledge, culture, and sustainable development, in partnership with all national institutions, to make reading a top priority for our children as a source of knowledge that contributes to the development of generations that elevate the status of mind, science, and creativity.
He added that the ministry believes that reading is an existential necessity and a fundamental pillar in human development, shaping minds, instilling values, and freeing thought from stagnation, by giving humans a horizon that is not limited by walls, and knows no boundaries.
Following is the text of the message:
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Colleagues in the educational field
My daughters and sons, the students
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you,
On National Reading Day, we stand in reflection and pride before the greatest weapon with which nations have risen, and the strongest means by which civilizations have been built, namely reading; the source of knowledge, the beacon of thought, and the gateway to enlightenment.
The choice of the Jordanian Hashemite government of the twenty-ninth of September of each year as a national reading day is a significant signal from it to enhance the status of reading in our beloved homeland, and to focus on it as a source of knowledge, culture, and sustainable development, in partnership with all national institutions, to make reading a top priority for our children as a source of knowledge that contributes to the development of generations that elevate the status of mind, science, and creativity.
Reading is a means to transmit national and human heritage and its narrative; it is a journey in the geography of knowledge and the terrain of science that takes us to the peaks of wisdom, enjoyment, and benefit, and represents a part of comprehensive development that cares for the human mind and adorns it with added values that are realized by expanding the circle of knowledge in all sorts of sciences, literature, knowledge, and arts, especially as we realize that the benefit of reading is not limited to discovering the new in fields of knowledge alone, but it is part of a civilized, educational, and humane behavior that should become a fundamental habit of families and communities of various sectors and interests.
We believe in the Ministry of Education that reading is an existential necessity, and a fundamental pillar in human development, shaping minds, instilling values, and freeing thought from stagnation, by giving humans a horizon that knows no boundaries.
The Ministry of Education has taken it upon itself to develop the habit of reading among its students through its focus on school libraries, which are found in almost every school, whether in cities, camps, or rural areas, and also encourages holding various Arabic language competitions throughout the school year, as well as working on translating and activating the linguistic and knowledge content of what students read through what is known as the school debates program among students, which tours the education directorates in the three regions of the kingdom, in addition to our students' annual participation in external competitions that hone their personalities and reflect their treasures of reading through the Arab Reading Challenge initiative, in which our students have obtained advanced rankings over its past nine seasons.
Our celebration of National Reading Day is a reaffirmation of a continuing commitment that intellect should lead our path, and the pen is the tool of building with which we advance toward embedding the culture of reading in our curricula, our schools, and our homes, to make reading a daily habit, and an original behavior.
The bet on generations can only be won if we nourish their minds with knowledge, instill in them the love of the word, and train them on questioning, thinking, and constructive criticism. Let reading be our passport to a future of more awareness, deeper understanding, and higher humanity.
I salute every teacher, every parent, and every reader, publisher, and author who contributes to reviving the value of reading in our society. You are the firm pillars in building this reading nation.
May God protect our homeland, bless the minds of its children, and make them a beacon of knowledge and light.
Peace, mercy, and bless...
