16 March 2006
Doha: A deterioration in Arabic language skills among young Gulf nationals has prompted the region's education authorities to propose a Gulf Arabic Language Centre, an official said yesterday.The centre to be located in Sharjah, will focus on educational policies and the means to support Arabic language teaching across the Gulf, said Jamal Al Muhairi, undersecretary in the UAE Ministry of Education.
"We are witnessing a deterioration in the Arabic language among our younger generation," he told Gulf News yesterday.
Al Muhairi said the influence of other languages being spoken in the region and the influence of the foreign media had caused a drop in the use of Arabic.
"We encourage the use and learning of other languages, but we must not forget our own," he said.
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has donated a building, and the Gulf countries will cover the project's financing. The centre could be open within a year, he said.
Meanwhile, the Dubai Department of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf has launched the Learn Arabic project for diplomats and staff of the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
It is a part of an educational scheme for expat communities, Aisha Obaid Al Kaash, Director of the department's Family Guidance Section, said yesterday.
Consul-General of India V.K. Sinha described it as a constructive step.
By Barbara Bibbo
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
