Report: Abdo Helou

Translated by Aline Aoun

NNA - The Ministry of Education and Higher Education celebrates “Alphabet Day" on March 11 of each year. On this occasion calligraphers union has decided to undergo calligraphy contest for students of basic classes.

300 envelopes have been sent to schools to all the Lebanese districts to inform them of the competition’s conditions and how to participate in it.

The head of the calligraphers union in Lebanon Joseph Haddad described this event as "very beautiful; to revive the Arabic calligraphy after it has been melted in the computer writing".

"Even the newspapers adopt the computer writing, it's a new culture that had entered the Arab world and stolen from us, heritage and history,” he added.

He said that the union will distribute certificates to the distinguished students who will write beautiful calligraphy with a certificate of appreciation for each school.

Haddad hoped that the largest number of schools from all of Lebanon will take part in said competition.

"We know that students’ writings today are unintelligible, and they consider that the Arabic language does not concern them, especially those in middle and high school grades," he added.

"We will try to distribute certificates under the auspices of his Excellency the Minister of Education," Haddad said.

Haddad noted that the opportunity is available until March 4 to reply or send competitions.

Haddad confirmed that the goal of the competition is to highlight on the Arabic calligraphy as an essential subject in the educational curriculum.

He hoped that the Ministry of Education will seriously take this issue into consideration and add the calligraphy to the curriculum.

“There are several types of calligraphy like transcriptional, Persian, Diwani, and many others,” he concluded.

===============A.A.M