Beirut: Minister of Culture Ghassan Salam© supported the Arabic dictation competition, organized for the first time by the Bassel Fuleihan Institute of Finance and Economics, in celebration of World Arabic Language Day. Previously, the institute had held similar competitions in French.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, one hundred and eighty-five secondary school students from 22 public and private schools participated in the competition. Minister Salam© recited the dictation text, which addressed "The Impact of Banking Secrecy on the Economy and Tax Justice." The text was inspired by an article published by the institute in the September-October 2025 issue of "Al-Jaysh" magazine.
Omar Shaaban from Prince Shakib Arslan High School won first place, while Mariam Zaher Al-Ali from Lyc©e National came in second, and Malak Al-Ali, also from Lyc©e National, took third place. The institute explained in a statement that this competition, which was held with the support of civil society associations, namely 'Financialwise' for financial education, the Lebanese Association for Taxpayers' Rights, Change Lebanon, Alam, and other institutions, aims 'to promote the use of the Arabic language in the financial field, and to develop the language skills and economic concepts of the participants, especially young people, within an interactive and educational framework.'