Lughati, the Sharjah-based initiative, which has been supporting the smart way of learning Arabic via digital platforms across Sharjah Government schools, has signed an agreement with Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) to expand its offerings to private schools in the emirate.

The agreement signed by Dr. Muhadditha Yahya Al Hashimi, Chairperson of SPEA and Badria Al Ali, Manager of Lughati, reinforces Lughati’s efforts to introduce more children to the smart and interactive application.

The agreement stipulates that Lughati will supply 90 tablets, 3 storage units and charging lockers for a duration of one year from the date of agreement, in addition to conducting workshops on how to use the application. Lughati will also supply the required technical support.

Commenting on the agreement, Al Hashimi said: “The authority is keen on ensuring that students benefit from an advanced curriculum focused on the development of  their scientific and cognitive skills. There is no doubt that Lughati, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, is designed to lay a solid linguistic foundation in students. It is a qualitative addition to Arabic language teaching in our schools. This significant collaboration has also given way to future prospects for similar high-quality cooperation and agreements to further enrich the education sector in Sharjah.”

For her part, Badria Al Ali, Manager of Lughati said: “This new partnership, which coincides with the yearlong celebrations of Sharjah World Book Capital 2019, is part of our ongoing mission to continue forging partnerships with educational entities to introduce Lughati to encourage students to enjoy the process of learning the Arabic language in a format they prefer. We want to revolutionise the educational output of schools.

“Students of three private schools selected by SPEA will have the opportunity to learn through our initiative. Lughati will measure the impact on children after the end of the school year by evaluating their grades before and after using the Lughati application”, Al Ali added.

As per the agreement, SPEA will select three private schools in which Lughati will be introduced to students during Arabic class, starting Kindergarten to Grade 3. The students’ and teachers’ experience of using the application as well as their feedback will be reported to Lughati by SPEA. The Sharjah initiative will cover all costs related to the activities that will be executed under the agreement.

During the yearlong partnership, Lughati will undertake field visits to participating schools to assess the reception and usage of the application by both students and teachers.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah launched the Lughati initiative in 2013 to support Sharjah’s education sector, harness modern technologies to promote Arabic language learning, and instill a love of the language in young students by offering access to modern learning and teaching methods.

The initiative aims at enhancing the value of the Arabic language, keeping pace with modern-day changes. In the first phase implemented from 2013 – 16, tablets were distributed to 5,060 Kindergarten students and 232 teachers. In the second phase, tablets were distributed to 2,959 Grade 1 students and 129 teachers in 49 schools. In the third phase, tablets were distributed to 2,951 Grade 2 students and 76 teachers. The fourth phase covered 2,568 Grade 3 students and 235 teachers in 48 schools.