DM employees back in school, to read and win

Dubai Municipality employees at Al Ahmadiya School heritage museum.

Years after they stepped out of school, a group of Dubai Municipality employees were back last week for a special assignment - to read books.
Employees of the Purchase Section in the Contracts and Purchasing Department were at Al Ahmadiya School - the first school to open its doors to the world of knowledge in Dubai - for some serious reading.
The employees read books individually and also attended a group reading session.
The exercise was part of an initiative launched by the department to take part in a reading challenge announced for Dubai Municipality employees and their families, Ahmad Al Zarouni, head of Purchasing Section told Khaleej Times. The reading fever gripped municipality employees and their families after the civic body committed to read 5,000 books in five months and announced incentives for winners.
Director-general of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, made the announcement to ensure participation of municipality employees and their families in fulfilling the directives of UAE leaders to promote the habit of reading among the citizens.
The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had declared 2016 as the Year of Reading and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had announced the Arab Reading Challenge that runs in the first quarter of this year.
The municipality's initiative will judge the reading habits of participating employees and families for four months till the end of April.
The challenge includes reading and summarising books by participants. The entries will then be judged and shortlisted ones will be qualified. A minimum of Dh15,000 as cash prize is ensured for the winning family.
The commendation will be held under the theme 'My Family Reads'. Rewards for best read son, best read daughter have been also allocated.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com