Amman, Aug. 18 (Petra) -National Forum for the Defense of the Arabic
Language, organized by the Amman Group for Future Dialogues (AGFD),
was launched on Tuesday, under the auspices of the Ministry of
Education and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific
Organization (ALECSO).

The event brings together several academics and experts to discuss
ways to enhance, protect, and empower the Arabic language in various
aspects of life.

Talking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education and Human
Resources Development and Chairman of the Jordanian National
Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Dr. Azmi Mahafzeh,
affirmed Jordan’s commitment to the Arabic language is “a national
obligation and a firmly established Hashemite approach.”

Mahfazeh expressed the Kingdom’s keenness to strengthen presence of
Arabic in education, culture, and media, and protect it legislatively
through the Arabic Language Protection Law.

He also highlighted development of curricula, teaching methods,
educational activities, and teacher training, calling for a shift
from merely celebrating the language to empowering it in learning
practices, daily life, scientific research, thought, and creativity.

In turn, Dr. Rami Iskandar, representative of ALECSO
Director-General, stated defense of the Arabic language protects
identity, heritage, and thought, and a tool for building knowledge.

He said ALECSO places the Arabic language at its “top”
responsibilities by supporting its teaching, developing its
curricula, training its teachers, promoting scientific research and
Arabic digital content, and leveraging artificial intelligence
applications and modern technologies.

He affirmed this approach aims to preserve the language’s
authenticity and enhance its ability to keep pace with developments.

He also highlighted the Project to Establish a Unified Reference
Framework for the Arabic Language, which aims to standardize levels
of Arabic learning and assessment criteria and improve the quality of
Arabic language education in Arab countries.

In a speech delivered on AGFD behalf, Dr. Muhammad Khair El-Issa
warned of the declining presence of the Arabic language in daily
life.

He noted that signs of this decline are now evident in the names of
shops, restaurants, and cafes, garment, menus, and bills, as well as
the increasing use of foreign languages ​​within some families and
educational institutions.

//Petra//AG