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Special conference will explore the future of Arabic in schools

Rym Akhonzada from Interlingua Language Solutions with some Arabic language pupils
Rym Akhonzada from Interlingua Language Solutions with some Arabic language pupils Rym Akhonzada from Interlingua Language Solutions with some Arabic language pupils

SCHOOLS are to gather to discuss the importance of teaching Arabic.

The language is considered vital to the future of Britain and Northern Ireland, however, exam entries remain quite low in the north.

Across the UK, there was a 3.8 per cent increase in Arabic GCSE entries between 2014 and 2015.

Statistics from the Joint Council for Qualifications show there were only 338 entries at GCSE for all `other modern languages', which includes Arabic. French (5,533 entries), Spanish (3,734) and Irish (1,980) remain the most popular.

The Edexcel exams board is working with teachers and higher education to design a new qualification for 2017. Teachers believe now is the right time to take a closer look at Arabic courses following the arrival of Syrian refugee children in schools in Derry and Belfast.

A conference at Methodist College Belfast today aims to help schools learn more about the importance of Arabic language skills in careers and how to introduce the subject. Young people will also experience some Arabic cultural activities.

Rym Akhonzada from Interlingua Language Solutions said Arabic was increasingly becoming an important language worldwide.

"It has been listed as the second most important language for the future of the UK in a recent British Council report, so I feel it is important to expose our young people in Northern Ireland to the many benefits of learning Arabic and being familiar with the Arabic culture," she said.