SOURCE: GULF NEWS

BY: ANGEL TESORERO

Dubai: Want to learn Arabic the fun and easy way? There’s an app for that.

An innovative language programme or app called arabee was recently launched for non-native speakers to learn Arabic. According to its developers, arabee “is an interactive, hybrid and digital platform aligned with the international language standards (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the UAE Ministry of Education that enables progressive, comprehensive learning with maximum retention.”

The app has easy to navigate features and children can learn and play without adult supervision. It offers a variety of activities including fun videos, singalong songs, interactive games and digital books.

Lenka Basweidan, founder of arabee, said the app was developed “from the ground up by teachers, parents and professionals who wanted to make learning Arabic fun and engaging for children.”

“We identified that many children were struggling to learn the Arabic Language which was very concerning for us as parents. There seemed to be a disconnect between the time spent studying Arabic and the amount of language acquired,” she added. Basweidan underlined: “The Arabic language is an important part of our culture and heritage.”

She, however, noted that based on their research “majority of schoolchildren were not enjoying Arabic lessons. Unlike other modern foreign languages, after years studying Arabic, many children could not communicate in Arabic.”

Hurdles

“Teachers were spending valuable time planning and creating resources and had less time for teaching. Many parents were unable to help their children because they could not understand Arabic themselves. Parents also consistently ranked Arabic as an area of frustration in their children’s education and materials being used were not exciting enough to keep young minds engaged and interested,” she added.

Basweidan said arabee app can be downloaded on Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple) for families to use from the comfort of their homes and on the go.