Sharjah: His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah launched Wednesday the second phase of the ‘Lughati’ (My Language) initiative, which utilises modern technology to teach students Arabic.
During the launch, Dr Shaikh Sultan distributed tablets at Wadi Al Helo Boys School and Al Hassain Girls School. Shaikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and Founder and CEO of Kalimat Publishing Group was also present on the occasion.
The tablets have been equipped with Arabic language educational programmes and applications as well as training programmes for teachers that were developed in collaboration with Horouf Educational Publishing, a subsidiary of Kalimat Publishing Group.
The second phase of Lughati will see distribution of tablets, in which the learning apps and programmes have been installed, to first grade students and teachers in Sharjah’s government schools. A total of 3088 students and 129 teachers in 49 schools will receive tablets in the second phase at a cost of Dh15.5 million. The first phase implemented over three years saw 5,060 students and 232 teachers receive the tablets.
The first-of-its-kind initiative was originally launched in 2013 with an aim to support learning Arabic by leveraging the latest technologies with specially designed contemporary educational programmes. This is in line with Dr Shaikh Sultan’s vision to enhance national identity, and create a generation proud of their country and the Arabic language.
Horouf Educational Publishing developed the educational programme to support learning Arabic through smart applications. They have an intelligent, interactive and informative format. In the past few weeks, the smart Arabic learning initiative organised a range of training courses for teachers from schools in Sharjah city and the Eastern Region where they learnt how to utilise the tablets to teach Arabic.
The “Lughati” initiative was launched by Dr Shaikh Sultan in 2013 with the aim of developing Sharjah’s education sector, preserving the Arabic language, and instilling a love of Arabic in the hearts of children by using modern educational methods. It was in response to developments in learning methods, and will pave the way for the creation of a knowledge based society.
