Al Sundus Kindergarten Wins ‘Lughati Play Award’

Lughati, the Sharjah-based initiative dedicated to supporting Arabic learning the smart way, honored the three winners of the third edition of the Lughati Play Award, a language contest designed to test the skills of kindergarten students in Sharjah and the first of its kind to focus on Kindergarten-level theatre.

The awarding ceremony was held at the Al Qasba Theatre, Sharjah, in the presence of His Excellency Marwan Ahmad Al Sawaleh, Under-Secretary for Support Services at the Ministry of Education; Badria Al Ali, Manager of the Lughati initiative; Aisha Saif Al Khaja, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Lughati; Marwa Al Khatib, Assistant Manager of Lughati and the award’s jury members Hassan Rajab, Mohammed Saeed Al Salti and Ahmed Al Majed, as well as a host of kindergarten teachers, pupils and parents.

For the second year in a row, the Al Sundus Kindergarten came first for its play titled ‘Family of Colours’, while Al Moroj Kindergarten took second place for its performance of ‘Family of Colours’, and Al Yasmin Kindergarten followed in third place for its play ‘Family of Colours’,

This year, the initiative introduced three incentive awards: ‘Best Performance Award’, went to Al Yasmin Kindergarten; the ‘Best Costume Award, went to Al Sundus Kindergarten, while the ‘Best Stage Design Award’ went to Al Moroj Kindergarten.

Cash prizes for the three winners were in the following order: AED 10,000 for the first winner, and AED 7,000 and AED 5,000 respectively for the two runners up, in addition to AED 2,000 for each of the incentive awards.

Badria Al Ali, said: “For the third year in a row, Lughati Play Award proved itself in enriching children’s Arabic language abilities in an interactive and interesting manner, away from routine, which contributes to the development of their acting skills, the promotion of their self-confidence while also helping them build strong personalities”.

Hassan Rajab, Head of the Lughati Play Award jury said: “This year witnessed a series of unique plays with valuable content that reflects the commitment of kindergartens in providing meaningful content that is memorable by children and encourages them to love their native tongue.”

The Lughati Play Award for kindergarten pupils in Sharjah seeks to motivate children to use Arabic in stage performances, thereby igniting their imaginations and creating a platform to extend its use in everyday discourse. It is the first such competition for kindergarten pupils in the performing arts field and has been commended by the UAE Theatrical Association.

The Lughati (my language) initiative was launched in 2013 by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and the Ruler of Sharjah, with the aim of developing Sharjah’s education sector and preserving the Arabic language by inspiring a fondness for it in the hearts of the youth through the use of modern yet simple methods.

In January 2016, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah adopted the new identity of the Lughati Initiative in Sharjah Schools under the name of ‘Lughati’. This initiative aims to meet the requirements of the educational and scientific development in smart learning methods and the need to build a knowledge-based society that can contribute to the advancement of education outcomes.