Hamdan Foundation, ICESCO inaugurate ‘Mishkat for Arabic Language’ Program

Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) have jointly launched the new annual program “Mishkat for Arabic Language” for professional development and continuous training in the Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers, which will run from October 2022 to June 2023.

The program was recently launched through a hybrid meeting at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. The meeting brought together a host of international experts selected to facilitate 20 training sessions as part of this first-time program.

“We are looking forward to starting this ambitious program, which intends to educate and certify Arabic language instructors in 10 nations throughout West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia,” said Dr. Jamal Al Muhairi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Secretary-General of the Foundation.

Dr. Al Muhairi added, “The program was created in collaboration with ICESCO’s regional academic institutions, training centres, and scientific chairs with expertise in non-native speaker Arabic language studies at numerous universities worldwide. The program fits into the framework of the Hamdan Foundation and ICESCO’s shared goal of improving the educational aspects of the Arabic language.”

Addressing the gathering, Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General for External Centres and Academic Chairs on Arabic Language, stressed that the programme is part of the Organisation’s vision which emphasises the need to ensure quality, sustainability, innovation and alignment with the needs of Member States.

He added, “We all have obligations to the Arabic language, each from our position, and the advancement and support of the Arabic language is at the centre of those obligations.

“Our cooperation fits into the framework of our efforts to broaden participation, score goals for strategic cooperation, and better coordinate with all relevant authorities in the region, to accelerate the comprehensive educational renaissance and achieve the program’s goals of promoting the Arabic language and enhancing its spread throughout all member states and other countries.”

The Mishkat Hall hosted the first training session facilitated by the education expert Dr. Mohamed Ismaili Alaoui under the theme: “Skills of Teachers of the Arabic Language to Non-Arabic Speakers” in which five groups of Arabic language teachers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea and Cameroon participated remotely, and a sixth group attended in-person.

Also participating by videoconference and individually were trainees from other countries and regions. Another session brought together five groups of Arabic language teachers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan and Vietnam.

This program is implemented in conjunction with ICESCO’s Regional Educational Centres, training poles and scientific chairs of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers in various universities around the world by a decision of its Executive Council at its 40th session in Abu Dhabi in January 2020, to play a pivotal role in building national capabilities working in Arabic language in general, its dissemination and the development of its teaching to non-Arabic speakers.