There is going to be a number of improvements and an overhaul of online courses for those learning the Arabic language in a bid to integrate expats into the Arab community of Abu Dhabi. There is currently a number of locations in the city where foreign workers can learn Arabic, however further efforts are being made to introduce an improved online course.
Dr Nidal Al Tunaji, the Director General of the Zayed House for Islamic Culture, believes that learning the Arabic language will help foreign workers to better understand the culture of the state, as well as strengthening the Emirates’ identity. Al Tunaji also told The forum for Teaching Arabic to Speakers of Other Languages, that “Instilling the language strengthens our Emirati identity within non-Arabic speakers living in the UAE and so it is important for us that they learn it.” The forum held in the capital, involves researchers, university professors and experts from 15 countries, and aims to strengthen the region’s culture as well as integrating the language in the UAE’s governmental sector.
The ultimate aim is to have all internal public sector communications, both written and spoken, in Arabic as the official language.
In September it was reported by Morgan McKinley that job openings for expats in UAE are on the increase, with a reported rise of 6% in new roles from the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2013. The UAE also ranked 9th overall in the annual HSBC Expat Explorer survey, and gaining 2nd place for the “working environment” category.
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