A love affair with the language

Introduced to prepare young Singaporeans for opportunities in the Middle East, one of the world's fastest-growing regions, MOE's Arabic Language programme is helmed by three teachers, among whom is Mdm Nur Faiezah Mohamed Hair. Having gone through Madrasah (Islamic school) education for 10 years, Mdm Nur Faiezah enjoyed an early acquaintance with Arabic, as nearly all subjects in Madrasahs are taught in the language.

Familiarity led to fondness and Mdm Nur Faiezah continued to pursue her linguistic love by reading a degree in Arabic Language and Literature at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. And for the past two years, she has been introducing Arabic to new cohorts of students at the MOE Language Centre each week.

Mdm Nur Faiezah hopes to inspire her students with a love for the Arabic language.

"I decided to teach Arabic because I love the language and would like to show others its beauty and dispel the notion that it is a difficult language to learn," she shares. Still, she is well aware of the challenges students face in getting a handle on the language.

"Teaching Arabic is different because of its script and how the language is spoken and written," explains Mdm Nur Faiezah. "Many other languages use the Roman alphabet but Arabic has a different alphabet altogether. Furthermore, there are also some letters whose sounds only exist in the Arabic language. Students need to pronounce them correctly or else they will be misunderstood - the difference in the sound can change the meaning of the word."

Furthermore, differences in the learning capabilities and language competency of the students also pose a challenge as she has to design activities that can involve the entire class. But it all pans out when she sees her students make progress and share their sense of satisfaction. "It makes me really happy whenever students who came in with zero knowledge of the language begin to read and speak the language," she states with a smile.

Learning from scratch

Elizabeth Gunawan is one such student. It was curiosity that first motivated the Sec 3 Raffles Girls' Secondary School student to pick up Arabic.

"It was the first year the MOELC was offering the language and it seemed very exotic," she relates. "After further research, I found out that there are many countries using it. I felt it would come in useful in the future as it is also an official language of the United Nations. The rich and diverse culture of the Arab countries also attracted me."

Games such as Arabic Scrabble make learning of the Arabic language more fun and engaging.

However, unlike many of her Malay classmates who had picked up Arabic from young while learning to recite the Quran, Elizabeth, whose mother tongue is Chinese, has no prior experience of the language. Thus, she faced a steep learning curve in the beginning.

"The biggest difficulty I faced was coming in with zero knowledge of the language," she recalls. "It was especially hard when we started reading and writing using the Arabic alphabet. I took quite some time to get used to it."

In fact, there were times when she felt like giving up. But by persevering and with help from her classmates, she managed to overcome the initial hurdles. "Whenever I don't understand or have problems, I'll ask my classmates," she says. "They are really helpful and everyone has their own strengths so we always try to help each other out."

Enriching the learning experience

Besides teaching the language, the teachers have also designed various enrichment activities to provide students with a better understanding of Arab culture. One highlight this year is an immersion programme in Egypt taking place from 21 November to 1 December for Sec 3 students. The main objective is to enrich the students' understanding of the Arabic language and culture in an authentic environment.

"They will attend lessons at a language school, participate in cultural workshops and visit places of interest like the Pyramids," reveals Mdm Nur Faiezah.

Enrichment activities such as the upcoming immersion programme provide students the opportunity to discover about the Arabic culture and better appreciate the language.

Other enrichment activities include learning journeys to places such as the Harmony Centre or relevant exhibitions, and celebrating Asian Languages Day with traditional games and workshops on Arabic culture and traditions. And once exams are over, it's time for board games such as Scrabble in Arabic and Arabic movie sessions.

Three years into the course, Elizabeth is thoroughly enjoying the learning journey and is looking forward to the immersion programme.

"I hope to get firsthand experience in conversing with the locals," she quips with visible excitement. "I think that is the best way for anyone to improve their grasp of the language. I also want to discover more about the Egyptian culture and learn to appreciate the Arabic language better."