RIYADH, 16 May 2005 — Most Saudis support the idea of teaching English from the 6th grade on though some are worried about its impact on Arabic.
The plan to teach English in elementary schools was made a few years ago, according to Dr. Muhammad Al-Ahaidab, director of the English language project at the Ministry of Education.
He announced that the objective was to begin teaching English for two hours per week in the 6th grade. Further plans called for eventually pushing the beginning of teaching English back to the 4th grade. Though the plans were made, they were not implemented until a month before the mid-term exams. The reason was a lack of English teachers.
Various solutions were sought, including recruiting teachers of various nationalities and by giving certain English teachers additional duties in more than one school. This has not been satisfactory and the ministry should abandon the idea if it can not be properly carried out. With so many nationalities teaching English, how many accents will we hear from our children?
New books were designed with plenty of pictures and information to help Saudi students understand English. The books, however, require well-trained and qualified teachers to assist the students in the early stages of language learning. Many teachers and parents wrote their complaints on the Ministry of Education website and they also submitted a number of suggestions and ideas.
Teaching English in elementary government schools in the Kingdom is not a bad idea and it will not have any adverse effect on Arabic. English has been taught for years in private elementary schools and no one has complained of damage to students’ abilities in Arabic.
What is needed here is more attention and planning in choosing teachers and also in choosing topics for teaching English to 11-year-old Saudi children.
