The Arabian Gulf by virtue of its demographic composition is a pluralistic society, where many languages and cultures live side by side and interact. This linguistic richness, however, carries its own challenges within it. One main challenge has to do with Arabic language which is the official language of the land. This session will discuss the UAE vision & initiatives set in place to develop Arabic language education. The initiatives are to be appluaded, however, the direction of the linguistic vision needs to be adjusted to focus more on teacher preparation and teacher and school leadership training.
The Arabian Gulf by virtue of its demographic composition is a pluralistic society, where many languages and cultures live side by side and interact. This linguistic richness, however, carries its own challenges within it. One main challenge has to do with Arabic language which is the official language of the land. Not only Arabic is struggling to be the language of the public arena in many Arabian gulf countries, but student results on international reading tests in Arabic have been quite disappointing. This session will discuss the UAE vision & anitiatives set in place to develop Arabic language education. The initiatives are to be appluaded, however, the direction of the linguistic vision needs to be adjusted to focus more on teacher preparation and teacher and school leadership training and less on glamorous technology and consumerist education. Teachers and school leaders are the most important piece in the educational fabric and without ensuring that they receive the best preparation, in addition to continuous and meaningful training and support throughout their careers, these initiatives will have little impact on Arabic language education outcomes.
