The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) concluded its Arabic Language Month in India after a month-long initiative that ran from July 1–26, 2024, spanning New Delhi and Kerala. The program ended with a series of scientific programs and events aimed at collaborating with Indian educational institutions, improving Arabic language curricula, enhancing teacher performance, and elevating the value of Arabic in India.
Partnerships with Leading Indian Universities
Activities included visits and engagements with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and Kerala University in Thiruvananthapuram, as well as other Indian universities that offer Arabic courses and associations dedicated to Arabic language teaching. The initiative also featured a visit to the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi.
Professor Mujeebur Rahman of JNU's Center of Arabic and African Studies noted that the competition drew students from across India, not just Delhi, reflecting strong nationwide interest in Arabic language learning. Dr. Noushad V., head of the Arabic Department at Kerala University, said the program was aimed at "inculcating some values, passion about the Arabic language" among students.
Scientific Symposium and Panel Discussions
The month-long event featured panel discussions covering several key topics: assessing Arabic teachers who are non-native speakers, the effective use of technology in education, designing modern teaching programs, and issues associated with Arabic as a foreign language. A dedicated scientific symposium was conducted to promote research on teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, with themes focusing on bilingualism, second-language acquisition methodologies, and the challenges educators face when working with learners who have no prior knowledge of Arabic.
Eight Courses for Teachers and Learners
The academy developed a total of eight courses as part of the initiative. Four courses were designed to enhance the teaching ability of Arabic teachers instructing non-native speakers, incorporating state-of-the-art instructional methods. The remaining four courses were developed for learners and focused specifically on reading and listening skills tailored for non-native Arabic speakers.
Academy's Global Arabic Education Mission
Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of KSGAAL, said the event helped achieve the academy's core goal of presenting its activities dedicated to teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and promoting Saudi Arabia's work in Arabic language dissemination worldwide. He noted that similar initiatives had previously been carried out in Brazil, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and China, positioning the India program within a broader international strategy.
Al-Washmi added that, through the Arabic Language Month in India, the academy was able to emphasize its important role in supporting projects for Arabic among non-native speakers and in enhancing collaboration with institutions working on Arabic language teaching outside Saudi Arabia. India is home to approximately two dozen universities offering Arabic courses, and roughly 9 million South Asian nationals work in the Middle East — making India a strategically significant market for Arabic language education.
KSGAAL was established in 2020 and focuses on preserving Arab culture while fostering broader understanding of the Arabic language globally.
