A national initiative launched by the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs aims at educating young Egyptian expatriates on Egypt’s history and identity as well as teaching them Arabic.
The “Speak Egyptian” initiative, according to Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram, comes in accordance with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s remarks at the 29th Educational Seminar of the Armed Forces.
During his speech at the seminar, President Sisi warned against “false awareness”, which poses a grave danger to Egypt’s security, stability and identity.
Makram said in press remarks that the initiative targets young Egyptian expatriates with an aim of informing and educating them about the Egyptian identity and culture.
She also affirmed that it is deemed a necessary step to teach these children how to speak Arabic, as this would ensure developing a sense of belonging to the Arab world and to Egypt as their home country.
The minister clarified that the process of the initiative is based on modern and new methods that would fit the nature and young age of these children.
In another interview with a satellite channel last week, Makram said she encountered some issues that have been facing Egyptian nationals abroad; however, learning Arabic remains on top of the issues.
She pointed out that second and third generations of Egyptians abroad only speak in foreign languages, “Therefore, we need to tell and connect them with Egypt so that they could communicate with their friends in Egypt.”
Putting into consideration that learning Arabic could pose a bit of a challenge to children, the minister said they will be taught to speak the language in an Egyptian accent so that it is easier for them.
Moreover, the technical committee of the initiative held its first meeting with the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Immigration, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, and Dar Al Nahda Al Arabeya for Publishing.
The meeting discussed the framework and extension of the initiative, in addition to how the initiative is going to be announced and launched in the coming period.
Makram further stressed that building and developing the Egyptian personality is considered a top priority of the Egyptian state in the current period, citing Sisi’s remarks that considered citizens as “the real treasure”.
The initiative firmly seeks to entrench the Egyptian identity once more, away from all the attempts and schemes to sabotage it, according to Makram.
The meeting also discussed the initiative’s structural form and systemics through its stages, including a detailed study on the nature of children that the program targets.
It is pertinent to mention that the initiative will also require the involvement and participation of families of these children, in addition to guidelines on how to implement the goals of the initiative.
Also, during the meeting, the attendees reviewed a prototype of the initiative that explains how the ministry, in collaboration with bodies and authorities taking part in the initiative, would prepare children for the program.
The targeted audience includes children from the age of three to six years old.
The initiative is also based on a set of cognitive sciences as well as educational psychology to properly address the targeted audience and address their needs and requirements.
