Fez — Moroccan student Khadija Boumlik has won the national prize of the 10th edition of the “Arab Reading Challenge,” earning the right to represent Morocco at the international final in Dubai this October.
Boumlik studies at “Attalouh” high school in Rhamna, under the Marrakech-Safi Regional Academy of Education and Training. Her win was announced during the national final ceremony held Tuesday in Rabat.
The competition brought together students from across Morocco, with this year’s edition marking record national participation. More than seven million students took part, representing over 17,000 schools and annexes across the country.
A national win with an international stage
Boumlik will now carry Morocco’s colors to the final rounds of the “Arab Reading Challenge,” one of the Arab world’s largest student reading competitions.
The initiative aims to promote reading among students and strengthen their relationship with the Arabic language. Its official platform describes the challenge as a major project launched to encourage students to read and summarize books beyond the school curriculum.
The competition’s format requires students to progress through several reading stages. Participants complete summaries as they advance, with the final stage involving the reading and summarizing of 50 books during the school year.
Reading at the center of education reforms
Morocco’s Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Mohamed Saad Berrada, attended the ceremony and highlighted reading as a key part of the ministry’s 2022-2026 education roadmap.
He said his ministry has been working to strengthen reading habits inside schools through classroom reading activities, class libraries, reading spaces, and cultural programs. Officials described the competition as part of a wider effort to improve learning and support students’ cultural development.
Other national prizes were also awarded during the ceremony. Teacher Azzeddine El Mounsi from the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima academy won the “Exceptional Supervisor” prize. Hamza Kmili, a student from Mohammedia, won first place in the category for people of determination. The “Best School” prize went to Moulay Idriss qualifying high school under the Fes-Meknes academy.
