Why Arabic is crucial to educational systems of the future: Report

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Executive director of QFI, Latrecia Wilson, said that Arabic is one of the most common languages in the world and should therefore be taught in more schools and offered at earlier ages for students. Arabic is the official language in over 27 nations. 

Wilson wrote to Euronews, explaining that without access to learning languages, employees, particularly those who are marginalized or disadvantaged, suffer severe economic, social, and cultural disadvantages. 

Every £1 invested in Arabic, French, Mandarin, or Spanish education in the UK yields a £2 return, according to a 2022 RAND analysis. Furthermore, the survey suggested that removing all language barriers with Arabic-, Chinese-, French-, and Spanish-speaking nations could enhance UK exports by almost £19 billion (€21.8 billion) each year.

While these are figures for the United Kingdom alone, boosting language education throughout European economies would have an exponentially favorable impact in all areas Wilson states.

Wilson explains that multilingualism's beneficial socioeconomic impact is growing, which is why studies demonstrate that learning foreign languages, particularly less often taught and vitally required languages, is related to better salaries and salary increases. 

One study in the United States indicated that knowing a second language increased college graduates' wages by 2% on average when compared to those who did not acquire another language.

Wilson believes the current school system is ill-equipped to fulfill this crucial requirement, which must begin at a young age. 

Students confront difficulties of equality and inclusion, and future graduates will continue to miss out on life-changing possibilities provided by language study. Multilingualism is listed as a critical capability by the EU, but more schools need to step up and challenge young, brilliant brains to gain useful language abilities.

Arabic is continuously recognized as one of the most spoken languages in the EU, and governments are progressively presenting Arabic as a global and economic language. 

The author believes that Arabic is severely underrepresented and must be updated to reflect shifting demographics. Although Arabic is the second most spoken language at home in many nations, it is rarely given as a course on the school curriculum.

Students who begin studying Arabic at a young age have better conversational abilities. We have seen time and again the life-changing impact of studying a second language.

Students who studied Arabic through QFI-supported programs, whether Arabic-speaking or not, have gone on to work in politics, commerce, law, media, and education.

Wilson adds that language education transforms whole communities and those who rely on state-funded education institutions for socioeconomic progress in the global market miss out on a variety of chances that language acquisition, particularly Arabic, provides. 

He argues that everyone should have access to this opportunity.

Students who begin studying Arabic at a young age have better conversational abilities and this ability is crucial. Students who studied Arabic through QFI-supported programs, whether Arabic-speaking or not, have gone on to work in politics, commerce, law, media, and education.

An environment of this type can promote increased cultural knowledge, mutual understanding, and social cohesiveness. This is critical for all languages, but particularly for Arabic.

Wilson concludes her argument by urging policymakers and/or decision-makers who support multilingualism by allocating adequate resources, administrators committed to advancing language education, certified language teachers, appropriate assessments of language progression, motivated parents, and curious students are all required for a successful early education language program.