Lughati Cup 2016 a prominent presence at Sharjah International Book Fair

The sixth day of the Lughati Cup 2016 at Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) witnessed strong competition from students keen to demonstrate their mastery of Arabic and win the first place prize. Launched by Lughati - the Sharjah-based initiative dedicated to supporting Arabic learning the smart way - the competition has been established to improve the Arabic language skills of primary school students in Sharjah.

Marking Lughati’s first participation at SIBF, Lughati Cup 2016 aims to test the Arabic language skills of second-grade primary students and instil within them an interest in learning the Arabic language through smart methods specifically tailored for pupils at their level. The heats during the sixth day of the competition saw teams answering questions from the judging committee using smart tablets equipped with learning applications designed for Arabic language education.

Badria Al Ali, Manager of the Lughati initiative, said: “The Lughati Cup 2016 introduces a competitive element to our remit of employing smart learning methods to enhance Arabic language development in children. We hope that by offering prizes through the form of contest we will further motivate primary school students to adopt Arabic as a regular form of their discourse and to use it in all walks of their lives.”

She added, “We are very proud to participate for the first time in the annual Sharjah International Book Fair, as it is an extremely influential forum for elevating the status of the Arabic language. We are using the platform to introduce Lughati to the fair’s visitors and exhibitors with the aim of disseminating our mission and spreading the importance of reaching out to today’s technologically astute children with smart devices that will better help them to learn Arabic.”

The Lughati Cup 2016’s organising committee has dedicated cash prizes for the competition’s winners, with first place winner awarded the Lughati Cup 2016 in addition to an AED 10,000 cash prize. Second place winner will receive AED 7,000 while the third place winner will collect AED 5,000. All students and supervisors participating in the competition will receive certificates of appreciation. The Lughati Cup 2016 winners will be announced on the final day of the competition; Thursday, November 10, 2016.

The campaign to support Arabic language education in Sharjah’s schools using new technology was launched in 2013 by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. It was one of a number of initiatives that aimed to develop the educational sector in the emirate and to preserve and endear the Arabic language to students by incorporating modern methods into the learning process. Taking on a new identity, the initiative was rebranded Lughati and approved by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in January 2016.

The Lughati smart learning initiative is designed to build a knowledge-based society and advance education in the emirate by encouraging students to apply Arabic in attaining cultural, social and economic knowledge, thereby boosting their personal capabilities and enhancing the everyday use of the Arabic language.