Call for Arabic as Medium of Instruction in the UAE School System

The members of the Federal National Council (FNC) wants a law that will guarantee that Arabic will remain the medium of instruction in state universities and schools in the UAE.

The education, youth and media committee of the FNC and a state minister will hear Tuesday the arguments on why the use of Arabic in schools is decreasing. While Arabic is UAE’s official language, the FNC committee has discovered that it is not exclusively used in the school system. Most schools in the region use English as their medium of instruction. As such many of the young people in the UAE display low proficiency in their national language.

Long study

Dr. Mona Al Bahar from Dubai, who is the chairman of the committee, has been studying for a year now the diminishing use of Arabic, not only in the schools but also in society and government. The debate to be held Tuesday would seek to address the issue and see whether a law is needed to ensure its use in schools. Dr. Al Bahar said existing policies supporting the Arabic language is not yet in effect until they become mandatory or a law on its use is passed.

She mentioned that in the UK, the preservation of the English language is protected by law and there are several other countries where there is legislation for the protection of indigenous languages.

New disability

According to Dr. Sheika Al Ari of Umm Al Quwain the committee thinks this is new disability, with students graduating with poor Arabic language skills. While the major sentiment is to increase the use of Arabic in schools because this is part of their culture and identity and as such must be learned by the citizens of UAE, there are those who believe that in order to succeed in the international business scene, and to empower UAE’s citizens, they should also be able to speak English.

A large part of the debate will focus on Arabic and education, while there are also some other issues that would be tackled, including workers’ insurance. Some of the attendees include Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, who will be asked by Dr. Mohammed bin Ham of Abu Dhabi about the revocation of some scholarships of Emiratis to foreign universities. Dr. bin Ham will want to specifically discuss the loss of the money invested on the first few years of the students’ scholarships.

Also expected to attend is the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak. He will be asked by FNC member Ahmed Al Amash of Ras Al Khaimah on the role of the ministry in instilling patriotism and loyalty in society while Ali Al Nuaimi from Ajman will question the minister about the Emiritization efforts in sport and the youth. Mr. Al Nuaimi will also ask the Minister of Labor, Saqr Ghobash regarding the legislation status of the measures meant to ensure workplace insurance coverage of employees in the free zones. The issue arose since the FNC proposal regarding this had been approved by the Cabinet yet its implementation is yet to be seen.

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