Arab News, Sun, Mar 03, 2024 | Shaban 22, 1445
Saudi academy signs deal with Thai university to promote language cooperation
Saudi Arabia:
The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language signed a memorandum of
understanding in Riyadh with Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, “to enhance
mutual cooperation in dissemination of the Arabic language.”
The agreement was signed as part of the Human
Capability Initiative Conference, which began on Wednesday under the patronage
of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
KSGAAL was represented by its Secretary-General,
Abdullah Al-Washmi, while Prince Songkla University was represented by its
President, Niwat Keawpradub.
The MoU is also aimed at strengthening “teaching,
preservation, and fostering scientific and practical relations to mutually
benefit and achieve strategic objectives.”
Collaboration will also take place in: Arabic
language and its sciences, Arabic language computing, building digital
dictionaries, linguistic blogs, developing assistive digital solutions,
cooperation in curricula and tools related to teaching Arabic to non-native
speakers, administering proficiency tests in Arabic for non-native speakers, and
sharing linguistic services and consultations in areas of mutual interest.
The agreement comes within the strategic
objectives of the KSGAAL in spreading the Arabic language at the local and
international levels, said Al-Washmi.
He told Arab News that Thailand is one of the
targeted countries to open Arabic language education centers in coming years as
part of KSGAAL’s strategy, which includes establishing a number of centers in
countries around the world.
A high-level delegation from the KSGAAL recently
visited Thailand and conducted a program that included seminars and discussion
sessions to study the status of the Arabic language in the country, he added.
The MoU falls within the initiatives of the
KSGAAL, its strategic partnerships with entities concerned with local and
international Arabic linguistic development.
These initiatives aim to enhance the level of
usage of the Arabic language, strengthen its presence, and preserve it in line
with the Human Capability Development Program, one of the programs realizing
Saudi Vision 2030.
KSGAAL was established by a decision of the
Council of Ministers and is one of the initiatives of the Ministry of Culture
aimed at enhancing the role of the Arabic language regionally and globally.
It was established in September 2020 to highlight
the status of the Arabic language and activate its role regionally and globally,
as well as to enhance its value as an expression of the linguistic depth of Arab
and Islamic culture.
KSGAAL works on spreading the Arabic language and
ensuring the integrity of its usage in various fields, revitalizing its heritage
through study, research, and dissemination, in addition to unifying scientific
reference internally regarding the Arabic language and its sciences, and working
to achieve this externally.