Arabic teaching must improve

The National

May 14. 2008

The Ministry of Education in the UAE made the Arabic language a compulsory subject right up to grade 12 in all private schools. Most expatriate children are studying in these schools. As an expatriate parent, it is my wish that my children learn the language of this country and understand its rich culture, heritage and history.

In the current Arabic teaching system, the 12 years a student devotes to Arabic is a waste. These pupils cannot read or speak a sentence in proper Arabic at the end of this time. If pupils can learn English and Hindi, which are not their mother tongue, in the same number of classes that has been allocated to Arabic, then something is wrong in the way that Arabic is taught.

It is time to find out why pupils in private schools lag behind in Arabic. The answer may lie with the teachers. As the medium of instruction in most private schools is English, Arabic teachers should also be proficient in that language. Unfortunately, a majority of Arabic teachers are not trained professionals and are unable to communicate in English. The Ministry of Education should insist that expatriate schools appoint trained Arabic teachers who are fluent in both Arabic and English.

When my children devote so many valuable hours in life to learning Arabic, they must benefit from it. If we cannot get value for time for our children, time will not forgive us.

K V Shamsudheen, Sharjah