Ammon News - By: Sarah Shabbar- In a nationally representative study conducted in Jordan, the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development revealed that only 6% of parents read to their children under six. The same study found that six in 10 children are falling behind in literacy development. QRF is addressing this critical gap in early childhood education, striving to reshape the future of literacy across Jordan and the Arab world through Iqrali.jo.

With many parents citing a lack of access to engaging, age-appropriate books that encourage early reading, Iqrali.jo—a Jordan-based initiative—focuses on changing parent behavior to improve early childhood literacy through shared reading practices.

“We envision a future where every child in Jordan and the Arab world reads fluent Arabic with comprehension,” said Fadia Hamdi, Iqrali.jo project representative from QRF. “Literacy is a foundational skill that unlocks lifelong learning and success; it is a gateway to all other learning inside and outside of school.”

Iqrali.jo is part of a wider national program that aims to empower parents to read with their children from birth, by providing them with the needed resources like age-appropriate and engaging children’s books, videos, and activities that demonstrate to parents how to read effectively with their children, and on-ground interventions where parents receive books to read with their children and guidance on how to read, what to read, and why to read with their children from birth.

Currently, in an early beta version, Iqrali.jo provides resources and support for all parents in Jordan, including refugee families. This year, Iqrali.jo was named one of the finalists for the 2024-2025 WISE Prize for Education, an initiative of the Qatar Foundation.

“Learning that Iqrali. jo was selected as a finalist for the 2024-2025 WISE Prize for Education was a very proud moment. This recognition underscores our team’s dedication and hard work,” Hamdi continued. “It validates our mission to enhance childhood literacy in Jordan and motivates us to empower parents to read with their children from birth.”

Iqrali aims to provide resources and encourage parents to incorporate reading into their daily routines, fostering a culture of reading from an early age. It supports Arabic language literacy by focusing on foundational skills and aims to incorporate AI-powered personalization for parents’ resources, suggested books and activities, and common questions and challenges, making it a personal library at their fingertips, aligned with their child’s needs.

Currently, Iqrali, in its basic version, has a reach of 2,000 monthly active users and has generated more than 500 story and resource downloads. With continued expansion, it has the potential to reach 1.25 million children from birth until the age of five years old and serve all parents, including refugee families living in Jordan.

“Our mission is to identify educational gaps, design solutions, and provide data and evidence for decision-making in and beyond the classroom. To achieve this, we focus on improving students’ Arabic literacy skills, as it is the most crucial factor that enables learning both inside and outside the classroom,” said Hamdi.

While Iqrali uses new technology like AI to enhance reading, it takes an evidence-based approach, leveraging behavioral science, innovation, and partnerships. The goal is to make a transformative impact, ensuring that every child can read fluently in Arabic, one of the world’s most widely spoken languages, with an estimated 400 to 450 million speakers globally, according to the British Council.