The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has recently launched its agenda for the National Reading Month declared to be celebrated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in March every year, this year under the slogan (Today a Reader; Tomorrow a Leader).
In this regard, HE Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul Manan Al Awar, Director General of the Authority stressed the importance of the National Reading Month initiative, which reflects the keenness of the wise leadership of the UAE to develop the Emirati citizens intellectually, culturally, and psychologically through encouraging reading and research, so as to strengthen their role in supporting the pillars of the Union, preserve its achievements and gains, and build on them.
He stressed that the initiative promotes a culture of continuous learning at all ages, helps develop the employees’ skills, increases their knowledge and contributes to transferring knowledge to society in general and to employees in particular, through sharing experiences and ideas.
“The Authority is keen to encourage its employees to read, and instil the culture of reading and knowledge dissemination in the workplace to become a daily habit and lifestyle, in order to motivate employees to pursue enrichment reading and exchange of specialized and general knowledge”, he said.
For his part, Khaled Al-Mazmi, Director of Strategy and Future Department unveiled the Authority's agenda during the Reading Month which includes multiple cultural and intellectual events and activities, including: organizing a book exhibition and a specialized reading session. The idea, he said, is to ask a staff member to quickly read and summarise a book he has read in a session entitled "Food for the Brain", and a workshop on "Fast and Pictorial Reading.
He added that the Authority organized a reading session for its staff to mark the National Reading Month, and hosted speaker Dr. Soha Imam who highlighted the book "Tolerance is the Greatest Cure Ever" by the famous American writer Neil Donald Walsh, in which he affirms that tolerance has the ability to treat our internal and external lives, and change the way we see ourselves and others.
The speaker noted that the author views tolerance as a source of health and happiness, which brings a feeling of tranquillity. According to her, it is necessary not only for others but for ourselves, and tolerance is not an expression but a sense and behavior.