Hamdan Foundation and Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) jointly unveil ‘Mishkat for Arabic Language’ Program

The ambitious program targets 10 countries in West and Central Africa; Southeast and Central Asia

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) have jointly announced the launch of the new annual program ‘Mishkat for Arabic Language’ for professional development and continuous training in the Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers, which will run from October 2022 to June 2023.

The program was recently launched through a hybrid meeting in the Mishkat Hall at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. The meeting brought together a host of international experts selected to facilitate twenty training sessions as part of this first-time program.

 “We are looking forward to starting this ambitious program, which intends to educate and certify Arabic language instructors in 10 nations throughout West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia,” said Dr. Jamal Al Muhairi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Secretary-General of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

Dr. Al Muhairi added: “The program was created in collaboration with ICESCO's regional academic institutions, training centers, and scientific chairs with expertise in non-native speaker Arabic language studies at numerous universities throughout the world. The program fits into the framework of the Hamdan Foundation and ICESCO's shared goal of improving the educational aspects of the Arabic language.”

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to ICESCO Director-General (DG) for External Centers and Academic Chairs on Arabic Language, stressed that the Mishkat Program is part of the Organization’s vision which emphasizes the need to ensure quality, sustainability, innovation and alignment with the needs of Member States. We all have obligations to the Arabic language, each from our position, and the advancement and support of the Arabic language is at the center of those obligations. Therefore, in collaboration with Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, the premier organization supporting education and achieving educational excellence, we launched the new ‘Mishkat for Arabic Language’ Program for Professional Development and Continuous Training. Our cooperation fits into the framework of our efforts to broaden participation, score goals for strategic cooperation, and better coordinate with all relevant authorities in the region, to accelerate the comprehensive educational renaissance and achieve the program's goals of promoting the Arabic language and enhancing its spread throughout all member states and other countries.” 

The Mishkat Hall hosted the first training session facilitated by the education expert Dr. Mohamed Ismaili Alaoui under the theme: ‘Skills of Teachers of the Arabic Language to Non-Arabic Speakers’ in which five groups of Arabic language teachers from Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea and Cameroon participated remotely, and a sixth group attended in-person. Also participating by videoconference and individually were trainees from other countries and regions. Another session brought together five groups of Arabic language teachers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Bashkortostan and Vietnam.

This program is implemented in conjunction with ICESCO’s Regional Educational Centers, training poles and scientific chairs of Arabic language for non-Arabic speakers in various universities around the world by a decision of its Executive Council at its 40th session in Abu Dhabi in January 2020, to play a pivotal role in building national capabilities working in Arabic language in general, its dissemination and the development of its teaching to non-Arabic speakers.