Dubai: The few expatriate pupils choosing to study Arabic say it is important to learn the language of the country they live in.
But they also acknowledge their new skill may not become particularly useful.
Cameron Boags, 15, from Scotland blames a lack of interest in Arabic on the poor attitude shown by international schools towards the subject.
"Teachers tend to look down at Arabic," said Boags, citing an incident with a teacher who told him Arabic was not as important as other subjects. "Arabic is neglected at my school".
Inconvenience
Arabic, he said, is seen as an inconvenience for expatriate pupils, who don't think knowledge of the language will be of much use to them in the future.
Indian eighth grader, Priyanka, is facing the possibility of having to repeat a year despite getting grades "in the eighties and nineties" in most subjects.
School officials recently sent her parents a letter saying she would fail the year if she did not improve her Arabic grades.
"I don't think it's very important to learn Arabic. I would rather have French as a second language, and then perhaps my mother tongue, Konkani," she said. Most of the pupils learning Arabic are those of Arab background, she said.
Philip Wheeler, a British national who has lived his entire life in the UAE, studied Arabic for years but considers himself a beginner.
He recognises the alphabets but only speaks the language to prove to others he can do it.