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