With the aim of fostering the Egyptian identity and promoting Arabic language and Egyptian culture among second and third generation expatriate Egyptians, Egypt’s Ministry of Emigration and Expatriate Egyptian Affairs has teamed up with the Ministry of Education, and Nahdet Misr Publishing House to launch “Itkallem Arabi“ (Speak Arabic) application.
Under the slogan “Speak Arabic and live it the Egyptian way”, the application is released within the initiative launched by President Abdel Fattah al-Sis with the aim of preserving the Egyptian identity and implanting belonging within ‘Egypt’s 2030 vision’.
In its first phase, the application targets children 3 to 6 years old; in the second phase it targets those from 6 to 9, and the third phase from 9 to 12.
The application provides the opportunity for Egyptian children born and living outside Egypt to learn the Arabic language in reading and writing; also Islamic and Christian Religion; and Ethics, Values, and Respect of the Other as taught in Egyptian schools through the mobile phone application “Itkallem Arabi”. The application uses state-of-the-art interactive learning methods. The application, which will be operative next August, goes under the name and provides a living experience of Egyptian culture, customs and traditions.
Education Minister Tarek Shawki said that the application provides online the curricula of Egyptian schools in the Arabic language and other topics.
Nabila Makram, State Minister of Emigration and Expatriate Egyptian Affairs, noted that the application has been created upon request from Egyptian families resident outside Egypt, who asked for online versions of Egyptian educational curricula.
Dalia Ibrahim, chairperson of the board of Nahdet Misr Publishing House, said that the current application was yet in its experimental phase. She pointed out that it has undergone many changes to comply with the views of expatriate Egyptian parents.
Dr Makram stressed that the prospective application was not intended to be against integration into new communities and cultures, but to ensure that “the language of their original homeland is not forgotten.”
Watani International
25 July 2021