The Shoura Council has demanded protection mechanisms for the Arabic language, the mainstay of the Kingdom’s national identity.

This came during a Shoura Council meeting held in Riyadh on Tuesday, where Saud Al-Sabie, a council member, discussed recommendations put forth by a special committee to study the draft bill of a law to protect the Arabic language in the Kingdom.

Council members also demanded a law requiring all foreign schools to include special programs for the Arabic language in their syllabus.

The council also demanded financial and administrative support for the King Abdullah International Center for Arabic Language Service.

The council meeting discussed the provisions included in the draft bill, such as the need for government and non-governmental agencies to use Arabic for their names and in their activities.

They also said that the Arabic language should be used in international meetings and official forums inside the Kingdom and abroad, a local daily reported.

The special committee further recommended that the center take up the responsibility of implementing and laying down the executive bylaws of this regulation.

A member demanded that a study be undertaken of the learning outcomes of the Arabic language syllabus and advocated the supervision of Arabic language teachers.

Another member proposed that these regulations should include clauses to make it obligatory on government departments to use simple literary language and also that the intermediary proficiency certificate should be issued only to those who achieve a specific level in the language.