Al Ruwais Primary Boys School students choose books to borrow from the school's library.
Al Ruwais Primary Boys School students choose books to borrow from the school's library.
Al Ruwais Primary Boys School students choose books to borrow from the school's library.
Al Ruwais Primary Boys School students choose books to borrow from the school's library.

Boring school libraries? Not any more


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  • Arabic

DUBAI // Dusty and deserted school libraries are having a long overdue injection of fun.

The "least-visited facilities" in Abu Dhabi's government schools are being converted into Learning Resource Centres, where children will go for classes, activities and research. Each centre will be stocked with more than 3,000 English and Arabic books, magazines and newspapers.

They will be made more spacious with comfortable furniture and will include a role-playing area, reading corners, multimedia access, TV and an online catalogue.

The makeover, to be complete in three years, is part of Abu Dhabi Education Council's solution to children's diminishing interest in reading.

"Children haven't had enough exposure to early reading or reading for enjoyment," said Badreya Al Rejaibi, senior specialist in the Library Management Section at the council.

"They have had insufficient guidance from educators and parents. And old libraries have been left in a poor state," Ms Al Rejaibi admitted. "The books were old and not age-appropriate. There were very few resources too."

Some libraries didn't even have proper furniture or computers for the pupils.

"There is also a particular lack of male librarians," said Ms Al Rejaibi. "We need to find bilingual specialists with a vast knowledge and computer skills."

Ms Al Rejaibi said they were also looking for books that were culturally diverse but religiously appropriate. "At the same time we want to promote local publishers and authors who help children to connect with their roots."

A study by the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research found 70 per cent of Grade 12 pupils at government schools had rarely or never visited a library.

The Emirates Foundation-funded study, not yet released, surveyed about 350 Emirati boys in foundation classes at the Higher Colleges of Technology. About half of them had fewer than 50 books at home and only 39 per cent subscribed to a newspaper.

The study, called The 30 per cent: Who are the males in higher education in the UAE, was co-written by Natasha Ridge and Samar Farah. Ms Ridge said libraries were poorly equipped and librarians unqualified.

"The other problem is that teachers do not understand how visiting the library can be helpful for their lessons. Involving pupils in reading activities fosters investigation and inquiry."

Ms Ridge's research highlights the immediate consequence of boys' lack of interest in reading: they are unprepared for higher education.

"Because they are not familiar with libraries, they do not know how books and material are categorised or how research is conducted for writing papers, and they are ill-prepared for tertiary education."

Mohammed Balaib, a student at HCT who went to a state school in the capital, said he thought libraries were "old fashioned and boring".

"There was no range in the type of books, like sports or politics. And most of the students spent their free time on the phone," he said.

The Learning Resource Centres (LRC) project was first tested in 10 state schools five years ago. Ms Al Rejaibi said there was a marked difference in the way pupils viewed reading in the pilot schools.

"They take books home often and can even drop magazine names when asked.

"It increases opportunities for them to build skills, enabling effective evaluation and use of information. Their access to local and global resources helps develop global awareness and cultural relativism."

Activities conducted by LRC specialists also introduced pupils to non-assigned reading through competitions and storytelling sessions with authors.

"We shouldn't have to force them to read; they should be asking for books themselves," she said.

The council also hopes to open up their centres to the community to further promote a love for the written word.

"Areas such as Al Gharbia lack public libraries. We want our LRCs to be used by parents and children in the neighbourhood as well," said Ms Al Rejaibi.

Aysha Khalfan Abdullah Al Shamisi, an LRC specialist at Sheikha Bint Sorror School in Al Ain, said pupils were now enjoying their library visits.

"Many of the students were reluctant to go to the old library for reading because it was not very interesting - just books and reference books," she said.

"Now, the LRC is the school's beating heart. The LRC pumps science and knowledge to the school's community. It is the spirit of the school."

Ms Al Shamisi also started a book club for Grades 4 and 5 pupils in Al Ain to push them to read more and write stories. "It will take care of the young novelist and their hobby of writing and encourage them to write and explore their literary character."

Meanwhile, Ms Al Rejaibi said parents also needed to get involved in such literary efforts. "Exposing children to books and reading to them from infancy creates enthusiasm for the written word from an early age," she said.

"This includes parents and children reading books and other printed text, playing language games and singing songs together."

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

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Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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The%20specs
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Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

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Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

THE BIO

Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren

Favourite travel destination: Switzerland

Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers

Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum

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Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

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Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

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  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
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Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

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Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law,  Ben Mendelsohn

4/5 stars

Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

- Jimi Hendrix

- Leonardo Di Vinci

- David Bowie

- Paul McCartney

- Albert Einstein

- Jack the Ripper

- Barack Obama

- Helen Keller

- Joan of Arc

The five pillars of Islam