JEDDAH: A novel strategy to teach Arabic to non-Arab students will be adopted at the Institute of Teaching Arabic to Non-Arab Speakers, according to Adil Banaema, rector of the institute.
The strategy was prepared in three stages.
“The first stage in the preparation of the strategy involved an opinion poll on the current realities of the institute and the present and future vision of the institute as perceived by its staff members. Questionnaires were distributed among all of its faculty members and administrators and the data were subjected to exhaustive analysis and compiled in a final study entitled, Institute of Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers: Reality and Objectives,” Banaema said.
The study also highlighted the strong and weak points of the institute covering its academic, human and administrative and financial aspects, he added.
The second stage in the preparation of the new strategy involved holding several brainstorming sessions and direct meetings with the participation of the rector and several staff members at various locations with the aim of evolving new ideas, he said.
The third stage mainly consisted of meetings of all faculty members and administrators to discuss the goals of its contents and courses, he said. This stage also included lectures by Hani Al-Khadri, a consultant to the institute, about the significance of the strategic plan.
However, the final form of the strategic plan is to be devised in a four-day workshop scheduled to start on Tuesday at the Westin Hotel in Jeddah. The workshop, being held under the supervision of Al-Khadri, will discuss issues such as the present situation of the institute, analysis of the needs of the faculties, students and administrators and the organizational structure of the institute, he said.
The institute was established in 1975 at the Umm Al-Qura University with the aim of teaching Arabic and Shariah to the Muslims in non-Arab countries.
