Dubai : Few students in private schools are able to acquire even a basic command over Arabic despite years of studying it as a second language, authorities said.
A fact sheet presented by Jameela Al Muhairy, Chief of the Dubai School Inspections Bureau (DSIB) under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said one out of five private schools, especially those teaching UK, French and other curricula, noted unsatisfactory progress in Arabic learning during the first round of inspections of 109 schools during 2008-09.
Pointing out that poor progress was due to non-compliance of KHDA's conditions for licensing which prescribes a minimum number of lessons to be taught, Jameela said, "In the second year of inspections, there has been increased compliance."
Speaking at the Dubai School of Government, she said Arabic was a key subject assessed as a quality indicator during the inspection.
"Most students by the end of Grade 12 make better progress in reading and listening than writing and speaking," she said.
Need for change
The DSIB's fact sheet points to flaws in the manner in which Arabic is taught with an overemphasis on text books and little use of resources to develop ideas.
"Improvements can be made if exams test students' language skills rather than their knowledge of the lesson content," it said.
Lack of teachers and an insufficient use of Arabic in real-life contexts had also taken their toll, the document noted, while recommending the need for a different approach to teaching Arabic.
Dr Latifa Al Najjar, Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature at UAE University, said stress must be on comprehension, creative thinking and writing for learning Arabic.
