H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, launched the third phase of Lughati, the Sharjah-based initiative dedicated to supporting Arabic learning the smart way, on Tuesday.

The launch of the latest instalment of the initiative was conducted in the presence of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group.

Also present at the event, which took place at Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), was Sheikha Jamila Al Qasimi, Director-General of SCHS; Sheikha Kholoud Al Qasimi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Oversight at the Ministry of Education; Sheikha Khawla Al Mualla, Advisor to the Minister of Education; Dr. Saeed Mosabah Al Kaabi, Chairman of Sharjah Education Council; Marwan Ahmad Al Sawaleh, Under-Secretary for Support Services at the Ministry of Education; Ali Al Hosani, Secretary-General of Sharjah Education Council; Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, Deputy Director-General of SCHS; and Badria Al Ali, Manager of Lughati Initiative.

At the launch of the third phase of Lughati, the Ruler of Sharjah visited the various activity and training halls at the Early Learning Centre in SCHS, where he distributed smart tablets to the students.

H.H. spoke to the children about their daily activities, including artwork, drawing and music. His Highness also participated in several activities and posed for souvenir photographs with the students. A workshop for SCHS students titled ‘Music Therapy’ was also conducted by a delegation of experts from Korea University in the presence of His Highness.

With the decision to commence the third phase of the Lughati initiative at SCHS, the students at the facility will benefit from it for the first time since its inception in 2013. SCHS was selected to receive the smart devices by Lughati’s Executive Committee, with the decision taken in line with 2017 being declared the ‘Year of Giving’ in the UAE.

With an estimated budget of AED15 million, the third phase of Lughati will cover the distribution of smart tablets to 2,951 students and 76 teachers, with each tablet equipped with the ‘Horouf’ smart application that has been developed by Horouf Educational Publishing, a subsidiary of Kalimat Publishing Group. The allocated funds also provide for training programmes for teachers, field visits and a phase three evaluation once the tablet distribution is complete.

"The launch of the third phase of Lughati by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, demonstrates that the initiative is achieving its objectives of supporting Arabic learning among the new generation. Lughati represents one of Sharjah’s core principles to enhance national identity by promoting the value of the Arabic language and preserving its culture," Lughati Manager Al Ali said.

"The remarkable success achieved in the first and second phases of the initiative has set a high benchmark for the third phase. We are committed to continuing with the great strides already made to attain the same level of success as befits the message of the emirate and the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, which is to raise children and young adults who are able to develop our country and meet its aspirations," she added.

Lughati initiative aims to enhance the value of Arabic learning through the latest technologies in education, thereby ensuring that Arabic will remain a leading language relevant in science, arts and modern technology. Implemented over three years from 2013 to 2016, the initiative’s first phase cost AED17 million and saw 5,060 kindergarten pupils and 232 teachers receive tablet devices. The second phase, with a budget of AED15.5 million, saw 2,959 first-grade students and 129 teachers in 49 schools receive smart tablets.