The most important of all messages that can be given to the readers of Young World is that eternal Message that Hazrat Jibrail (PBUH) brought to the Prophet (PBUH): “Iqrah! Read!”

It is this which is the Almighty’s instruction to all of us: “Read, read, read.” One mustread, not just the Holy Quran or the school textbooks. They are only a starting point. Read magazines. Read newspapers. And, above all, read books ... all kinds of books. Read the great poets, the great novelists. Read for knowledge; for wisdom; and, most important, read for the sheer pleasure of reading.

You will learn language skills and improve your vocabulary. You will learn about people, places, situations, human feelings, and ideals. You will experience adventures and emotions. You will begin to understand something of the human spirit. And, most important, you will develop the reading habit that will serve you for the rest of your life.

In order to read, one must be able to spell. A printed word is an idea, a concept, an action, it has meaning. But it is made up of letters. In order to extract the treasure that is the meaning of a word, the idea that it depicts, one needs to be able to put together the letters that make up that word. In order to read fluently and easily, one needs to be able to spell fluently and easily.

That is why an activity like the Spelling Bee competition promoted by the DawnGroupis such an important activity. It takes place every year in October-November across the whole country in three stages: district, regional, national and the final.

Oxford University Press (OUP) is proud to have been one of the key sponsors of the Dawn Spelling Bee competition this year, as in the previous years. OUP Pakistan is fortunate in having behind it the immense knowledge resources of the University of Oxford, whose famous ‘dreaming spires’, as you may know, house Europe’s second-oldest University, dating back nearly a thousand years.

The University originally became involved in printing in the 15th century, not too long after the printing press was first invented by Johannes Gutenberg. The University soon grew into a major printer of scholarly works. The first Oxford English Dictionary, an iconic publication today, was developed in the late 19th century. And the last hundred years have seen Oxford publish children’s books, school textbooks, music, journals, the World’s Classics series, and a best-selling range of English Language Teaching texts to match its academic titles. OUP has offices in 50 different countries. Our offices in Pakistan were opened as early as 1952.

We are the largest University Press in the world, and the second-oldest, and have the widest global presence of any. More important, as a branch of this great, ancient, and renowned Centre of Learning, we are also torch-bearers, carrying forward the University’s values of excellence in research, scholarship, and education.

As most people know, the alumni of Oxford over the years have included some of the most outstanding scholars and leaders in the history of the world. The name of Oxford has been synonymous through the centuries with the highest levels of educational and academic excellence. Oxford has always been at the forefront of learning, teaching, and research. We at OUP are part of this oldest University in the English-speaking world.

We are also proud to have participated in the Dawn Spelling Bee competition 2019. We offer our most heartfelt congratulations to this year’s winners.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 7th, 2020