DUBAI — A new Arabic curriculum has been developed for Grades I and II in the Madares Al Ghad (MAG) schools in the UAE, in a bid to make the language more interesting.
The newly developed curriculum, on the lines of the English language curriculum, also aims to inculcate bi-lingual skills among the Arab and Emirati students studying in these schools.
Arabic teachers will also be trained to make the language interesting, so pupils are more inclined to use the national language.
The new curriculum, which was presented on Thursday to Dr Hanif Hassan, the Minister of Education, has been developed for Arabic studies, Islamic studies, social sciences and national education, similar to the advanced English language curriculum.
It consists of instructional materials designed in line with international standards.
The curriculum is the result of field studies based on the UAE’s societal and educational needs and is in line with the rapid development of the country.
“The Ministry is very keen on preserving the Arabic language’s advanced curriculum and rank within the society.
“The new instructional materials are based on various factors such as mental and physical stability of students, maintaining UAE traditions and values, and encouraging critical and reasoning thinking,” said Dr Hassan.
“The new instructional materials have been developed for Grades I and II based on both international and national language teaching standards and a thematic framework.
The series of books, ‘My Language My Identity’, which will be piloted this academic year, emphasises on reading and using word-sound connection and sight words.
The series also consists of work books, decodable books, introduced for the first time in the Arab world, and materials for extended learning.
Dr Karima Matar Al Mazrooei, Chief of Arabic Language Curriculum Committee, said, “The children of the United Arab Emirates face an identity crisis. It is a language that opens doors to culture and heritage and it is their language that the children find difficult and uninteresting. The world is moving very fast but the pedagogy used to teach Arabic hasn’t kept up with the pace. To address this, the Madaras Al Ghad has put together a programme, instructional materials and training sessions for teachers of Arabic.”
She added, “Teachers will be guided by resident teacher mentors. There will also be an ongoing professional development programme to prepare them in modern pedagogy. The sessions will include training in classroom management, differentiated learning, and the teaching of receptive and productive skills of language.”
Also known as Future Schools, the 50 MAG public schools are meant to serve as a prototype of education to be replicated in all government schools.
The project, which would be expanded to other schools, hopes to be an educational blueprint for schools in the Middle East and aspires to prepare academically qualified UAE nationals to lead.
Preeti Kannan