This Monday, February 3, 2025, the first International Conference on Language Competence in Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers commenced under the theme “Challenges of Reality and Prospects for Development.” Co-hosted by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Bursa Uludağ University in Türkiye, its Faculty of Theology, and its Waqf Organization, the conference brings together 50 researchers from 20 countries to examine the major challenges in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers and assess initiatives, innovations, and projects aimed at addressing these challenges.

The opening session of the three-day conference featured speeches by Dr. Jefar Çevçir, Vice President of Bursa Uludağ University, and Dr. Adam Abak, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, who both praised ICESCO’s collaboration with Turkish universities in supporting the Arabic language in Türkiye and promoting specialized scientific research in this field.

ICESCO is represented at the conference by Dr. Anas Hussam Saeed Al-Nuaimi, an expert at the Arabic Language Center for Non-Arabic Speakers, who delivered the Organization’s speech during the opening session. In his address, he highlighted ICESCO’s role in disseminating the Arabic language, strengthening scientific research, and publishing specialized studies on Arabic for non-Arabic speakers. He also chaired one of the conference sessions and presented a scientific paper titled: “The Importance of Arabic Poetry in the Acquisition of Language Skills for Non-Arabic Speakers.”

Throughout its sessions, the conference will address several topics during its sessions, namely: problems of teaching language skills; analysis of language skills in textbooks for teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers; successful teaching strategies in learning and teaching language skills; assessment of language skills; and modern techniques for teaching language skills.