Listed as 4th on the United Nations list languages, Arabic is both a national and international language in Eritrea. As a language Arabic has been entwined with Eritrean history dating back to the ancient times of the Kingdom of Axum. It has close relation with Ge’ez, and its connection can be witnessed not only in the use of Arabic words in our native languages but also as being part of one of our native language i.e. of the Rashiada ethnic group. Looking at the geographic location of Eritrea, and the countries it is surrounded by, the importance of Arabic language becomes apparent. Thus, due to its significance, it has been selected by the government of Eritrea to be used as one of the two working languages of the country.
In light of its importance, many attempts by the public and private enterprises have been made to spread and instill the knowledge and command of Arabic language amongst citizens within the country. In continuation of government efforts, to create a more lasting platform of learning, the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS) initiated the establishment of a school for Arabic language along with its partners. The school was established with the vision to impart basic working knowledge of the language amongst public employees through a centralized system/curriculum that encompasses national values and reflects the culture of the society.
With guidance from the Department of General Education at the Ministry of Education, in a period of 5 months, a curriculum was designed to assist in providing students with basic skills (writing, speaking, listening and reading) and provide them a sound foundation in the language in which they would be able to build upon post training.
The school started providing classes on November of 2020 at the NUEYS youth center located at its head office in Asmara. The program runs the course in three levels, that stretches for a period of 6 months each. Presently, the school is operating fully under the umbrella of NUEYS and has so far graduated 509 number of students in six rounds; and currently the seventh round of courses is under way.
Since the establishment of the school, increasing demand has seen it not only increasing the number of students, but also slowly expanding to other public offices; in which the offices establish their own centers for educating their staff. As a testament to this, with the use of the designed curriculum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taught two levels so far. Furthermore, courses are being given in the Sembel Rehabilitation Prison and currently courses are underway to be given in Asmara Palace Hotel.
To further enrich the education provided to students, a club i.e. Arabic club was officially established on 01/08/2023. The purpose of the club is to create a platform for students to further their knowledge of the Arabic language especially after completion of the course. Through the club, students are able to help each other improve their command of the language (most times with guidance from teachers) by exploring other venues of learning outside the curriculum i.e. through books, videos and audio recordings. Also by communicating with each other in a less formal setting without the constrictions of a classroom, students are provided with an environment in which they can test themselves confidently without the fear of making mistakes.
With the success of the school so far and its ability to still educate consistently, even during hard times such as through the Covid-19 Pandemic, the end goal or rather bigger vision of NUEYS for the program is to be able to expand the reaches of the school throughout the country in each Zoba and possibly major subzones in order to provide access to as many citizens as possible to have the opportunity to learn the Arabic language and leave a lasting impact within the society and the country as well.
Written by Meriem Ahmado