How Qatar Foundation instills value and identity through the Arabic language
Language is a custodian of identity, and our Arabic identity cannot be preserved without our Arabic, according to a group of Arabic language teachers at Qatar Academy Doha, one of the schools under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education.
The teachers also emphasize the importance of children growing up to love the Arabic language and to realize its role in promoting cultural and national belonging.
“At Qatar Academy Doha, we are keen to instill a love for the Arabic language in the hearts of our students by making them aware that it is one of the basic components of our existence and identity,” said Mahmoud Amer, an Arabic language teacher for middle and high school and head of the Arabic language department at Qatar Academy Doha (QAD).
“There is no value to a person without his language, and he who cherishes his language will gain more respect from other cultures."
“By speaking a ‘Fusha’ Arabic language in the classroom, we constantly strive to encourage students to speak Arabic ‘Fusha’. But students often need someone to follow them or communicate with them, and, as teachers, we must speak this language as much as possible so that the student feels when they hear it as smooth and easy."
Amer pointed to the role that schools in Qatar play in promoting the Arabic language, by focusing on national programs such as Islamic studies, the Arabic language, and heritage and history programs, saying, “The series of national subjects included by Qatar Foundation is designed to enhance the Arabic language, as it helps students to listen to the language permanently.
“Without listening, they cannot care for or develop themselves, or be proud of this language."
Amer says the Arabic language element is essential within the International Baccalaureate program, especially the importance that Qatar attaches to the Arabic language, and this gives Arabic language teachers a strong incentive to continue to support and enhance the language among students.
Teacher Othman Al-Omar, an Arabic language teacher at QAD, said, “As teachers, our interest in this language is reflected in our performance and means students interact with us in a better way because when a student sees their teacher says something and apply it in front of them, it attracts the student and improves their interaction with the language.
"Qatar Foundation carries the message that the Arabs are an integral part and an essential component of this national civilization and that our language is our identity. If we lose our pride in this language, we will lose a large part of our identity, and ensuring this does not happen falls on everyone's shoulders and not on the Arabic language teachers alone.
“It is not enough for a teacher to be academically qualified. They must be educated and know the ways and methods by which they can reach the hearts and minds of students. That is why, at QAD, we have sought through workshops and training courses to focus on the aspects with which we communicate ideas to students."
Al-Omar describes Arabic is a language that is capable of communicating information in less vocabulary and with more accuracy. And Rola Abu Ramadan, an Arabic language teacher at QAD, says it is important for educational institutions to realize their role in graduating future leaders who are fluent in using the Arabic language.
"We find some students who love to study and master the Arabic language, and some of them may feel responsible for it, especially when they feel that they will be responsible for their homeland in the future,” she said. “They will one day be leaders and have a role in multiple fields, and therefore they must master the Arabic language".
In 1960, the role of the Arabic language in making international publications more influential was officially recognized, and in 1973 the first UNESCO conference on the Arabic language was held based on a set of proposals adopted by many Arab countries, and this led to the adoption of the Arabic language as one of the global languages that they are used in international conferences.
“When Qatar participates in a conference in any country in the world, we see the language of speaking in Arabic, and it is translated into English for the attendees,” said Abu Ramadan. “There is no doubt that the Arabic language is now taking a clear, pioneering form and role in most countries of the world; many countries also teach the Arabic language in their universities, and even non-Arabic speaking students study it.
“The Arabic language has become known to everyone. For example, we see signs in streets and restaurants in foreign countries written in Arabic. Its use has become inevitable for other countries, and now they want to communicate it to the world like other languages, as evidenced by the existence of an International Day to celebrate the Arabic language.
"The cultural diversity that characterizes Qatar Foundation schools highlights our role as teachers in nurturing students, and teaching them how to adhere to their identity, language, morals, and the value that stems from their religion so that they transfer these characteristics to the other diverse cultures with which they communicate."
Discover PUE, a virtual event organized by QF’s Pre-University Education, will provide an opportunity for parents in Qatar to meet representatives of the 15 schools within QF’s education ecosystem this month.
It will be held from 10 am-6 pm on Wednesday. January 13, and include a series of webinars and the chance to hear from alumni of QF’s schools. To register, visit www.discoverpue.vfairs.com, and for those who cannot attend on the day, registration will allow the webinars to be viewed from January 13 to February 13.
