Governorates, Sept. 29 (Petra) -- Reading Marathon events launched Tuesday in several governorates across the Kingdom under the slogan "Jordan Reads," aimed at encouraging young people to read and making it a daily habit and at enhancing the role of youth centers as cultural and developmental institutions.
In the Irbid Directorate of Youth and the Directorate of Education for the Bani Obeid District, marathon events kicked off in conjunction with National Reading Day, in cooperation and partnership between the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Library, and the "Irbid Reads" initiative.
Director of Education Directorate Nisreen Al-Bakkar stressed during the launch the need to enhance and raise awareness of the importance of reading at the school level, noting that reading has become an important source of knowledge, is closely linked to cognitive action, and is an important source for building the self and acquiring the knowledge of the new era.
The Balqa Directorate of Culture organized cultural events and storytelling readings in several schools in the governorate in celebration of National Reading Day, in cooperation with educational institutions, aiming to promote a reading culture and entrench a love of books among students.
The events included storytelling readings in schools in the Ain Al-Basha, Southern Shuna, and Deir Alla districts, presented by writers Ghada Aql, Ibtisam Muaziz, and Nariman Al-Salahat.
The Tafila Technical University (TTU) library launched Reading Marathon events in cooperation with the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, aiming to promote a reading culture and encourage students and community members to acquire books and benefit from their knowledge and cultural content.
TTU President Hassan Mohammad Al-Shalabi patronized the exhibition held at the university library, which saw the distribution of about 3,000 books free of charge in various knowledge and cultural fields under the "Your Free Book Is Waiting for You" initiative.
Al-Shalabi stressed the importance of cultural initiatives that enhance the presence of books in the lives of students and the community and encourage younger generations to read, explore, and build knowledge, calling on schools in Tafila Governorate to visit the exhibition.
In Mafraq, the "Reading Marathon" program launched at the Directorate of Youth, aiming to encourage young people to read, introduce them to new books and titles, and enhance the presence of reading in the daily lives of youth center patrons.
The event included individual and group reading sessions and discussions and dialogues about the books read, along with youth reading initiatives and activities, contributing to entrenching the habit of reading and developing knowledge and awareness among young people.
In Aqaba, 2,324 male and female readers participated in National Reading Day events organized by the Directorate of Culture as part of the Reading Marathon, with a total of 16,783 pages read through a series of events and activities held in several schools in Aqaba and the children's department at Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Hospital.
The events aim to promote a reading culture among students, encourage them to make books a source of knowledge, and enhance partnership between cultural and educational institutions in spreading reading and turning it into a daily practice among various segments of society.
The Aqhuwan Malka Forum for Culture and Arts in Irbid organized an event marking National Reading Day at Al-Mansoura Secondary Comprehensive School for Girls, aiming to promote a reading culture and encourage students to make books a permanent companion.
Forum President Amani Al-Mubarak said the initiative included donations to the school and a diverse collection of books and stories issued by the Jordanian Family Library Project of the Jordanian Ministry of Culture.
In Ajloun Governorate, the Directorate of Education staged a theatrical performance dedicated to children, coinciding with National Reading Day, as part of its efforts to promote a reading culture among children.
The Sakhrat Youth and Girls Center also participated in the 2026 Reading Marathon events, with 20 young men and women from the center's members.
The event came in cooperation between the Ministry of Youth, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, and the Ministry of Culture, marking National Reading Day, observed on this day each year, as part of national events organized across the Kingdom on this occasion.
//Petra// AF
