SAUDI ACADEMY SEES MALAYSIA AS KEY COUNTRY FOR ARABIC LANGUAGE PROMOTION

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, July 18 (Bernama) -- Saudi Arabia's King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) sees Malaysia as an important country for its language promotion and plans to work with various Malaysian universities to develop Arabic skills and scholarship.

Secretary-general Abdullah Saleh Al Washmi said the academy is encouraged by the response it has received in Malaysia to its workshops and other initiatives.

"It is evident that Malaysia demonstrates a significant interest in the Arabic language, a fact we have observed through our implementation of various programmes. We anticipate that the execution of additional programmes will substantially contribute to enhancing the level of Arabic language studies in Malaysia.

"We are establishing partnerships with Malaysian universities to elevate the proficiency of Arabic language instructors. These collaborations aim to improve teaching methodologies and facilitate the learning process for students," he told Bernama in New Delhi.

KSGAAL's efforts to promote Arabic in Malaysia have included workshops and lectures for instructors and learners.

It has published a study titled "The Arabic Language in Malaysia", which looks at the language's development in the country.

Abdullah travelled to the Indian capital as part of KSGAAL's "Arabic Language Month" in Delhi and Kerala state, an initiative that is part of the academy's international outreach efforts.

"To date, we have successfully implemented this programme in several countries, including Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and China. Currently, we are in the process of establishing the programme in India, and we aspire to extend it to Malaysia in the near future," he said.

In New Delhi, KSGAAL organised events at Jawaharlal University University (JNU), Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in collaboration with their Arabic language departments.

Hundreds of Arabic learners and instructors participated in its Delhi events.

Highlighting the importance of Arabic in India, Mujeebur Rahman, a professor of Arabic at JNU, said there is significant interest in the language among youngsters due to growing relations with the Arab region and as well demand for Arabic language skills in corporate jobs and international careers.

Those in the field of Islamic studies and literature also seek higher language skills in their scholarly pursuits.

KSGAAL's focus is on developing Arabic language skills across all fields as the Arab world has grown its political, business and cultural engagements around the world.

One major aspect of the academy's work is its focus on digital tools to expand the use of Arabic globally and raise language standards among non-native learners.

"The scope for expanding the use of Arabic is in every domain, be it culture, economy, technology or artificial intelligence," Mujeebur Rahman said.

-- BERNAMA