The ICESCO Educational Center in Malaysia, in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, held the first training session of 2024 on “Utilizing Technology in Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers.” The Session was attended by 870 teachers from various Malaysian states, with the aim of improving the quality of Arabic education, expanding its scope, and enhancing teachers’ abilities to use the tools that modern technology offers.
The opening ceremony of the Session, held over July 30 – 31, 2024, at the University of Southampton in Johor, was attended by Mr. Zamri bin Abdul Rahim, First Assistant Director of the Islamic Education Department at the Malaysian Ministry of Education, and Dr. Yaqoub bin Hassan, Head of ICESCO’s Educational Center in Malaysia, along with several officials in the field of education in the state.
During his address at the opening session, delivered via video conferencing, Prof. Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center for Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers, emphasized the need for forward-looking plans to keep pace with the constant changes and take advantage of technological innovations to transition from the traditional school paradigm towards “the School of Tomorrow,” by employing technological and digital tools to enhance the educational process and improve its quality.
The Training Session was facilitated by Associate Professor Dr. Nor Khamimi Bin Zainal Din, educational expert from Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Mr. Amin El Hadi, educational expert at the Foundation for Educational Development.
The Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has published the third series of the specialized studies in the field of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers, as part of the “Specialized Studies Project”supervised by the Center.
This 3rd series consists of 10 books authored by a group of experts and specialists in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers from nine countries: Saudi Arabia, Canada, the United States of America, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria, Malaysia, Iraq and Brunei Darussalam.
This series of specialized books aims to strengthen the presence of the Arabic language worldwide, reinforce scientific and educational research, and keep abreast of developments in Arabic language teaching programs and pedagogical tools.
The publications in the 3rd series are titled:
Technological applications and artificial intelligence in second language teaching and learning.
Teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in Canadian universities, realities and challenges.
Supportive methods to facilitate the acquisition of language skills for Arabic language learners.
Word construction for Arabic language learners, metacognitive strategies and classroom practices.
Communicative competencies: Applications in teaching and learning Arabic for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, an applied linguistic approach.
Role of mental conceptions in understanding lexical and syntactic significance in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers.
Methodical and sustainable reading of literary texts, advanced level for non-Arabic speakers, an approach in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Application of ChatGPT and its impact on teaching Arabic in Malaysian universities.
Epistemological references in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers.
The cultural question and its impact on Arabic teaching and culture in the Malay Archipelago.
These publications can be consulted and downloaded free of charge from ICESCO website, via the following link: https://icesco.org/0erm
The Arabic Center for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) published the first issue of its peer-reviewed scientific journal for the Arabic language (Alem). The journal reflects the Organization’s keenness to promote the presence of the Arabic language in non-Arabic speaking communities inside its Member States and beyond, with the aim of building a rich body of knowledge, supporting solid specialized research, and fostering research cooperation.
This journal is also intended to serve as a new reference for specialists in the various fields of studies of Arabic, and a repository of remarkable works, both in theory and execution, to benefit researchers in the Islamic world and beyond.
The biannually-published journal (June and December) invites interested researchers and experts to submit their scientific research works for peer-reviewing and publication in its upcoming issues. For more information on the Journal, including latest news, please sign up to the Journal’s website at the link:
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), represented by its Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, held a scientific seminar titled, “Arabic Language and Hassaniya Dialect: Origins, Interrelations, and Spread.” The Seminar was organized in collaboration with Cadi Ayyad Center for Humanities and Legal Studies (CCSHEJ) and Sahara Center for Human and Social Studies, at the National School of Business and Management of Dakhla in Morocco.
The opening session of the Seminar, which took place on July 1-2 , 2024, featured remarks by Mr. Mohamed Salem Hammia, President of the Regional Council of Oued Ed-Dahab, Morocco, and representatives of the Seminar organizers.
In his address, Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, emphasized the significance of the Seminar as it reflects ICESCO’s commitment to extending its projects, programs, and activities in the Organization’s Seat Country, while also focusing on the intangible heritage of its Member States. Dr. Majdi noted that the Hassaniya dialect is a vital resource for cultural exchange across continents, nations, ethnicities, identities, and civilizations, as it exemplifies coexistence and the rejection of intolerance, thus promoting the principles of human fraternity and social security.
The Seminar, which saw the participation of Dr. Adham Muhammad Ali, Expert at the said Center, featured several research papers that explored the heritage of Hassaniya dialect, its history, cross-cultural exchange and influence, and proposals for its preservation.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is pleased to announce the launch of the “ICESCO Young Anchor Competition”, as part of the attention the Organization gives to the new generations and the youth of the future. The competition is aimed at non-Arabic-speaking children to encourage them to practice, master and use the Arabic language on an international scale. It also aims to boost their self-confidence, develop their communication skills and improve their linguistic and expressive competencies.
The competition, organized by ICESCO’s Arabic Language Centre for non-Arabic Speakers, aims to promote intercultural understanding and the exchange of expertise between different cultures. It also aims to encourage children to express their ideas and opinions in innovative and diverse ways, helping to shape a generation capable of positively impacting their communities and building a better world through the power and appeal of words.
Candidates wishing to take part in the Competition are invited to register from today, Monday 24 June 2024, until the end of October 2024. Entrants can compete in the following categories: National news or sports presentation, weather report presentation and news bulletin presentation. Applications are subject to the following conditions:
The participant must hold a non-Arab passport;
Participation must be in classical Arabic;
The participant must not be over 12 years of age;
The application must be submitted through the administration of the school with which the child is affiliated;
A video not exceeding 3 minutes must be sent to the competition e-mail address;
A copy of the candidate’s passport and their guardian’s passport;
All participations must be sent to the following e-mail address: daaiac@icesco.org.
After the closing date for nominations, a specialized jury will evaluate the nomination files and select the three winners. The first prize winner will receive US$ 4,000, the second prize winner US$ 2,000 dollars and the third prize winner US$ 1,000, in addition to receiving certificates of merit. The winners will be announced on ICESCO’s official website and through official notifications sent to the parties concerned. The awards will be presented at a ceremony to be announced at a later date.
The Mishkat Hall at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) hosted a training workshop on “Teaching Poetry, Short Stories, and Novels to advanced Arabic learners.” The workshop benefited 196 teachers of Arabic as a foreign language in 13 countries. This workshop is the tenth and final session in the series of workshops organized by ICESCO as part of its international program, “Mishkat for Arabic Educational Training,” held in collaboration with Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences.
The workshop was held by Dr. Habib Maghraoui, an educational trainer and expert in literary criticism and rhetoric, on 5-6 June 2024. The theoretical part aimed to familiarize the participants with the basics of teaching literature and its principles for non-Arabic speakers, emphasizing the importance of methodological reading and its fundamental phases. The practical sessions focused on developing teachers’ skills in methodological reading of literary texts, including preparation, planning, implementation and evaluation.
The two-day International Conference “The Dictionary and its Uses in Teaching Arabic to Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers: Assessment and Development,” organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic Language Establishment, concluded its proceedings at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat. The Conference featured several scientific research, rich discussions, and an exchange of experiences and ideas among a host of scientists and researchers from diverse scientific institutions across multiple countries.
The Conference’s sessions, held in-person and live-streamed, revolved around five main themes: “Approaches to the Relationship between Dictionaries and Language Teaching,” “Educational Uses of Traditional Dictionaries for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers,” “Educational Uses of Modern Dictionaries for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers,” “Doha Historical Dictionary: Prospects and Educational Uses for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers, and “Standards for Developing an Arabic Dictionary for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers.” Moreover, Mishkat Hall hosted parallel sessions for international experts.
The participating experts issued a set of recommendations in the Conference’s closing statement. These recommendations called for benefiting from the experiences of previous dictionaries for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, fostering a deeper and newer understanding and vision to develop innovative educational tools that advance and update the Arabic linguistic repertoire, and developing an Arabic dictionary with frequency-ranked lists of words.
Furthermore, the Conference’s closing statement emphasized the necessity of directing particular attention to dictionaries as an educational and pedagogical tool and ensuring their proper use by taking into account the cultural context.
The Conference called for educational reform based on communicative approaches to improve the teaching practices for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, balancing the use of paper and electronic dictionaries and disseminating the Conference’s papers and recommendations to national, regional, and international institutions concerned with teaching and learning Arabic.
In addition, the International Conference will publish a two-volume proceedings book that compiles 35 peer-reviewed papers, selected by a dedicated scientific jury from a pool of 120 papers, authored by specialized experts and researchers from various universities and educational institutions worldwide. The papers of the proceedings book were organized into four chapters: “Educational Uses of Dictionaries for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers,” “Doha Historical Dictionary: Prospects and Educational Uses for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers,“ “Standards for Developing an Arabic Dictionary for Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers,” and “Approaches to the Relationship between Dictionaries and Language Teaching.”
Today, Wednesday 22 May 2024, saw the launch of the International Conference “The Dictionary and its Uses in Teaching Arabic to Arabic and Non-Arabic Speakers: Assessment and Development,” organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic Language Establishment, at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat over a two-day period. The Conference saw high-level attendance, including ambassadors, representatives of accredited diplomatic missions in the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as experts and researchers from around the world.
The Conference, which was convened in a hybrid mode, kicked-off with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by a welcome speech by Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO’s Arabic Language Center for Non-Arabic Speakers, in which he shed light on the Conference’s importance, the context of its organization, and its objectives.
During his opening remarks at the Conference, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, emphasized the significance of the Conference’s theme, where sciences converge to serve the rich Arabic language and consolidate its global presence. His Excellency noted that the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic Language aims not only to preserve the language, but also to facilitate its understanding in an educational context, for study and research into scientific, intellectual, and social transformations, highlighting the vibrancy of the human community making use of this Dictionary.
Dr. AlMalik pointed out that the communication and digital revolution prompts questions about the Dictionary’s ability to meet the intellectual, cultural, and scientific needs of youth. The Director-General praised Qatar’s contributions to the universality of Arabic, and, in particular, the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic Language, reviewing ICESCO’s diverse projects and programs in various fields of Arabic language promotion, and revealing its future plans in this regard.
Dr. Azeddine Bouchikhi, Executive Director of the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language, considered the organization of this Conference, which includes scholars and researchers from various parts of the world, a confirmation of ICESCO’s status as a beacon of cultural and civilizational influence, reflecting the efforts of the Doha Dictionary aiming to establish a dictionary that documents the transformations of the Arabic language over 20 centuries.
He also stressed the necessity of planning linguistic and lexicographical projects that are feasible and executable, keeping pace with the scientific advancements in theoretical and applied linguistics. The conference presents 28 peer-reviewed research papers in a printed book in two parts totaling 700 pages.
In his address, Dr. Mustapha Abou Maârouf, President of Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Beni Mellal, and representative of academic universities in the Kingdom of Morocco, praised ICESCO’s projects in the field of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers, acknowledging the dedication of Arabic language scholars throughout generations, culminating in the commendable efforts of the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language.
Following the opening session, the Conference’s working sessions began on its first day, during which experts discussed several topics in three sessions, focusing on dictionaries and their educational uses for both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) received the King Salman Global Academy Award for the Arabic Language for the year 2022 in the category of institutions that spread linguistic awareness and innovate linguistic community initiatives during a large ceremony organized by the Academy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday evening, November 12, 2022, under the patronage of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Culture, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Salman International Complex for the Arabic Language.
In an address delivered on his behalf by Deputy Minister Hamid bin Muhammad Fayez, the Saudi Minister of Culture noted that the number of qualified institutions and individuals in the four award categories demonstrates the positive competition among players in the field of Arabic language at the local and international levels, adding that the Complex was established to highlight the value of the Arabic language and serve as an international scientific reference in the field.
For his part, Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi, Secretary-General of the Complex, stressed that the award reflects the great legacy of the Arabic language as it encompasses multiple civilizations and vast geographical ranges and that there are several scholars who teach and learn Arabic across the globe.
Honorary shields were then handed over to the winning individuals and institutions in the four award categories: teaching and learning the Arabic language; computing the Arabic language and its services with modern technologies; research of the Arabic language and its scientific studies; and spreading linguistic awareness and innovating linguistic community initiatives.
Dr. Majdi Bin Haji Ibrahim, Head of the ICESCO Center of Arabic for non-Arabic Speakers, received the prize which was awarded to the Organization in recognition of its contribution to a range of qualitative projects in four geographical regions in both Arab and non-Arab countries, its efforts to enhance the capacities of Member States, and its joint coordination to implement educational and cultural programmes in various fields, most notably in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers, as well as its commendable programmes, publications and cooperation agreements.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) won King Salman International Complex Award for Arabic Language for 2022 for institutions, in the branch of spreading linguistic awareness and creativity of language community initiatives.
The Complex announced the names of the winners of the Award in its four branches on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, which are: Teaching and learning Arabic language, computerization of Arabic language and providing it with modern techniques, modern Arabic language research and studies, and spreading linguistic awareness and creativity of language community initiatives. Two awards were awarded in each branch, one for individuals and the other for public and private institutions.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), expressed his happiness and pride in the Organization’s winning of this international award, especially as it comes from the King Salman International Complex for the Arabic Language, which was established to serve Arabic and enhance its civilizational, scientific and cultural role and contribution regionally and globally.
He noted that ICESCO’s winning of this prestigious Award confirms the Complex’s appreciation for its efforts in serving and supporting the Arabic language as well as for ICESCO programmes and projects that contribute to the language of the Quran and its due place among the languages of the world, whether through ICESCO Center for Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers or from other Sectors and Departments of the Organization.
