Sharjah tablets as tonic for Arabic teaching

Sharjah is using smart technology to educate its children and instill in them a love for Arabic language.

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, launched a first-of-its-kind initiative that aims to support learning in Arabic by leveraging the latest technologies available in combination with specially designed contemporary educational programmes.

Under the programme, all students and teachers in Sharjah’s government schools will receive Tablets that have been equipped with a specially-designed Arabic language educational package completely free of charge. The package includes new and innovative educational programmes in the Arabic language and training programmes for educators.

This initiative - facilitated by Horouf Educational Publishing, a subsidiary of Kalimat Publishing Group – will be implemented over the coming five years.

The first phase, which will run in the 2013/2014 school year, will see 5,000 students and 250 teachers in kindergarten receiving Tablets.

Sheikh Sultan stressed that that human development and expanding the scientific and technological knowledge base of people, while preserving the UAE’s Arab identity and culture, will remain top priorities in the UAE. He  noted that knowledge development is a constantly evolving process  that requires a steadfast commitment to developing and adapting educational methods.

He launched the initiative during a visit to the Kindergarten Development Centre in Khorfakkan, at which point the first Tablets were distributed to kindergarten pupils.

Sheikh Sultan said: “The development that we seek in our educational system should not be limited to simply developing programmes and methods, but must also include the development of the educational staff, parents, and the entire community.”

He added: “The UAE’s leadership firmly believes in the vital importance of developing education to the highest level in order to serve the interests of our nation and its citizens.”

The scheme aims at developing educational field in Sharjah, preserving the Arabic language, and instilling a love of the Arabic language in the hearts of children by using simplified and modern educational methods. The scheme comes in response to the requirements of evolution in smart learning methods and will pave the way for the creation of a knowledge based society and contribute to improving the outcomes of education.

The initiative, in collaboration with Sharjah Educational Zone and Sharjah Educational Council, will adopt a gradual implementation strategy, starting with kindergartens then moving up to other educational stages to eventually include all students of government schools in Sharjah.

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