Diplomatic World_nummer 57

‘AS-SALAM ALAYKOM’ …
‘WA ALYKOM AS-SLAM’
Jacqueline Couder (Director International Relations
at VUB), Ami Azar (Project Coordinator Arabic
language courses), Jan Cornelis (Academic Attaché
CIDIC)
ARABIC LANGUAGE COURSES AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE. A TOOL FOR BETTER INTEGRATION
IN THE BRUSSELS COMMUNITY
In October 2016, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
launched a project on Arabic language learning for children
aged 6-15 in Brussels. The children follow extra-curricular
courses, four hours a week. The project was designed in
response to the large migration influx, the need for new
innovative answers to integration problems in the host
countries and concern about the quality of teaching and
teachers for Arabic language learning as a second language.
We are convinced that teaching about important social
themes and intercultural values in the children’s mother
tongue or language of their country of origin, will help them
in developing a strong positive image of their own identity.
Language is indeed pivotal in this development. More
languages mean better mutual understanding, tolerance and
awareness.
Children take their graduation certificate and gift from VUB.
of our courses is the modern curriculum, independent of
religion and illustrated with cartoon figures from Arabic
and European origin. We just finished the first course
book, tailormade for this type of classes. It is now ready for
printing – the first of eight! The project received a financial
contribution from the King Baudouin Foundation.
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You can read more about the societal and individual
offspring of the Arabic Language Classes in Diplomatic
World 54. Since 2016, the success has been impressive: the
first year we had 164 children, now 300 with a waiting list
of another 300 candidates. A unique selling proposition
The main characters of the curriculum. (two from Arabic origin
and two from European origin)
On 5 May, VUB organised the graduation ceremony for
graduates of the 2nd year of the Arabic Language Classes.
Despite the competition with the Iris festivities in Brussels
and open-door events in several schools, a total of 8
buses packed with cheerful children and parents arrived
on campus from the 4 locations of the Go School Group
in Brussels where classes are organised. After a word of
welcome by prof. Sonja Snacken, VUB Vice Rector for
International Relations, the children danced and sang
their hearts out, accompanied by the Wassel music band.
H.E. Dr. Yousef Bataineh, Ambassador of the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan in Belgium, H.E. Jasem Mohamed
Albudaiwi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in Belgium,
H.E. Mohammed Ameur, Ambassador of the Kingdom of
Morocco in Belgium and H.E. Fadi Hajali, Ambassador of
Lebanon in Belgium, addressed the lively audience with
great enthusiasm.