Zayed University has established the Zai Centre, dedicated to teaching Arabic. Photo: Zayed University
Zayed University has established the Zai Centre, dedicated to teaching Arabic. Photo: Zayed University
Zayed University has established the Zai Centre, dedicated to teaching Arabic. Photo: Zayed University
Zayed University has established the Zai Centre, dedicated to teaching Arabic. Photo: Zayed University

Abu Dhabi's Zayed University launches Arabic teaching hub to help promote language


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An Abu Dhabi university has launched an Arabic education hub to bolster the emirate's drive to champion wider use of the language.

Zayed University has established the Zai Centre, which will explore how Arabic is taught across the globe in order to provide learners with the highest standards of education.

The facility aims to be the world's first Arabic language education accrediting body by 2026, Abu Dhabi Media Office said on Twitter.

The government media office said the centre was in line with "Abu Dhabi’s vision to preserve and develop the Arabic language".

Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth and chair of Zayed University’s board of trustees, said the Emirates had a duty to enhance the teaching of Arabic.

“The Arabic language is inextricably linked with our heritage, culture, and homeland," she said.

"We all therefore have a duty to promote, preserve, and enhance the teaching of Arabic."

She said a recent report by the Ministry of Culture and Youth highlighted an "absence of a clear vision for teaching Arabic as a world language".

"Our ambition is to establish the Zai centre as a leader in this space and become the first accrediting body for Arabic language education in the world by 2026,” she said.

The Zai Centre will oversee the creation of the Children’s Arabic Corpus, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, which will identify the most frequently used words in modern standard Arabic.

It will also lead the development of a resource library, beginning with translations of the top 100 studies on Arabic teaching published in academic journals, which currently predominantly available in English.

Supporting Arabic is a key priority for UAE leaders, set against the backdrop of the country's multicultural make-up.

The UAE has embraced a bilingual system in everyday life, with road signs in English and Arabic, and many government and legal services available in both languages.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, has called for schools and universities to sharpen their focus on Arabic language studies. Photo: UAE Presidential Court ---
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, has called for schools and universities to sharpen their focus on Arabic language studies. Photo: UAE Presidential Court ---

In August, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, called on schools and universities across the country to step up efforts to promote national identity and culture, and the Arabic language.

Sheikh Abdullah, who is also chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council, spoke of the need to integrate core Emirati values into curriculums and teaching methods from early years through to higher education studies.

Arabic language is 'our culture'

In June, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, urged teachers to promote Arabic in schools.

Sheikh Dr Sultan stressed the importance of teaching Arabic to pupils, focusing on the need to develop new teaching methods for the language and encouraging youngsters to learn it.

“The Arabic language is our belonging to the Quran,” he said in an address to teaching staff at the Sharjah Education Academy.

“The Arabic language is a stockpile of our history, our knowledge and our culture. The Arabic language is what holds firm our belief in our religion. The Arabic language is what unites us from the furthest corners of the Earth — from the far East to the far West, we are united under one language.”

Abu Dhabi in 2020 set out a five-year plan to encourage greater use of the Arabic language.

Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, approved the Arabic Language Centre’s strategy for 2020 to 2025.

It included using Arabic content, developing digital platforms in the language and encouraging research to promote it at all levels.

The centre was established in March 2020 in an effort to bring attention to the Arabic language and encourage its use in all official communication.

It was also give the task of performing periodical reviews for Arabic-language curriculums at schools.

Dubai Ruler attends Global Arabic Language Summit - in pictures

  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the first Global Arabic Language Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai. All photos: @HHShkMohd Twitter
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the first Global Arabic Language Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai. All photos: @HHShkMohd Twitter
  • Sheikh Mohammed with the secretary general of the League of Arab States and the Arab ministers of culture, at the first Global Arabic Language Summit, at the Expo.
    Sheikh Mohammed with the secretary general of the League of Arab States and the Arab ministers of culture, at the first Global Arabic Language Summit, at the Expo.
  • Sheikh Mohammed signs the UAE Declaration on the Arabic Language at the summit.
    Sheikh Mohammed signs the UAE Declaration on the Arabic Language at the summit.
  • Sheikh Mohammed at the Global Arabic Language Summit. Experts were invited to discuss the importance of Arabic through panel discussions and workshops, on December 19 and December 20.
    Sheikh Mohammed at the Global Arabic Language Summit. Experts were invited to discuss the importance of Arabic through panel discussions and workshops, on December 19 and December 20.
  • Sheikh Mohammed says Arabic is 'the language of our identity, culture and sciences'.
    Sheikh Mohammed says Arabic is 'the language of our identity, culture and sciences'.
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Brief scores:

Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)

England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)

Result: Scotland won by six runs

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

Ten10 Cricket League

Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17

Teams

Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan

Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad

Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider

Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider

Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah

Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition

Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier

UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs

Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)

1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0

Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE

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Started: 2018

Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and talent management

Initial investment: Dh20,000

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 40

U19 World Cup in South Africa

Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies

Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE

UAE fixtures

Saturday, January 18, v Canada

Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan

Saturday, January 25, v South Africa

UAE squad

Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon

Brief scores:

Day 1

Toss: South Africa, field first

Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48

South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

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Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

Results

5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m

Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m

Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.

6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m

Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.

7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m

Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.

8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m

Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

Updated: November 28, 2022, 11:51 AM