Tuesday, Feb 22, 2011
Gulf News
best teaching method to be chosen
Dubai Authorities are working to improve the Arabic language skills of students in public schools with new teaching methods, it was announced yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference, Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi, Acting Director General at the Ministry of Education, said that the ministry was cooperating with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States to achieve the goal.
The Arab Bureau of Education was recently allocated a plot of land at Sharjah University City, with one of its activities to include a two-day conference which starts today at Sharjah University.
Linguistic experts have been invited to discuss how to efficiently improve students’ grasp of the Arabic language.
“In public schools, we find that the main challenge is teaching students the language,” Al Suwaidi said. “Now schools use the classical textbook method, and we want to improve the way it is taught. The students feel that it is too rigid and the teachers find that there are not many tools to teach with.”
Al Suwaidi said that during the conference, the two establishments would determine the best teaching practices for students to improve their skills.
“There are new developments in learning other languages, so we will apply the best one. The centre will be a hub for learning Arabic, not only for the Gulf states but also for Arab and non-Arab countries,” he said. “And one of the extra programmes they offer is on teaching Arabic to non-Arab students.”
He said students were in danger of losing their grip on the Arabic language due to the popularity of the BlackBerry and the internet.
Dr Ali Al Karni, Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, said the centre aimed to enhance Arabic studies for students from kindergarten to high school, particularly in public schools.
“The outcome of the learning level is not what we want,” he said. “Learning English now is very important in schools, so it has been easier for children to learn languages other than Arabic.”
By Mariam M. Al Serkal?Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
