Dubai, Aug.28th,2007 (WAM) -- The Dubai School Agency (DSA), thefirst agency of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA),launched today the first phase of its 'My Language My Identity' projectthat aims to encourage the habit of reading in Arabic among elementaryschool students.

DSA and Scholastic - the largest publisher of Arabic books for children- have come together to provide a number of two-day workshops to train250 female teachers and librarians on the usage of 'My Arabic Library'books to support the curriculum. The workshops are currently being conductedin three public schools in Dubai.

Fatma Al Marri, CEO of the Dubai School Agency, said, 'We started theambitious 'My Language My Identity' project to revive the culture of readingin Arabic among students, especially after the Internet and TV have replacedbooks as a means for information. There is also a dearth of suitable booksfor this age group. In this first phase we purchased a huge collectionof story and non-fiction books from one of the largest publisher of children'sbooks.

Scholastic is known for the quality of the Arabic language used and itsinfotainment value. This phase includes workshops to train teachers andlibrarians to use the latest strategies and teaching methods to encouragestudents to read and establish a bond between the student and the book.'Al Marri added, 'This is merely the first step in this project that wehope would encourage the students to develop a close bond with their nativelanguage and benefit from its literary riches. The DSA is to begin thisprogram with the elementary level and then apply it to all levels. Thefocus is now on Arabic, Islamic, and Emirati Heritage.' The 'My Arabic Library' series was prepared for elementary school studentsand uses bright colours and cartoons that appeal to children. Each libraryhas around 40 interesting book titles, with five copies of each book,as well as a teacher's manual. The selection of books was made by a groupof qualified Arab educationalists, Arabic Language teachers and ArabicLanguage supervisors, was translated in the Arab world and approved bymany Education Ministries in the Arab world.

Currently, DSA is distributing more than 270 sets of the series to publicelementary schools in Dubai. This series include topics like math, environment,animals, planets, the sun, and the family. The students may read thosebooks during and after class, depending on the instructions of the teacherwho would use those books to backup and enhance the academic curriculum.