DUBAI // When an image of a boy on a swing appears on the computer screen during an Arabic class, Sophie Reid confidently walks up to the board and says "Yakaf al walad alla al urjooha".
The eight-year-old student at the Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) was learning how to identify scenes from a circus after her teacher, Aliaa Baker, had created a presentation for a group game for the class. The recital, which meant "a boy standing on a swing", was an achievement for Sophie, who was taking Arabic as an additional language.
It would have not come easily a year ago. Ms Baker, an Egyptian, was hired recently as part of an effort to revamp the school's Arabic language instruction, which was found to be unsatisfactory by education authorities.
"We interviewed more than 60 teachers but hired only four who we thought could bring a spark to the lessons," said Tonya Berrington, the JESS Arabic coordinator.
"What we found was that the kids weren't particularly interested in the language and we are trying to change that attitude."
In the first round of inspections carried out by the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) in 2008, the school achieved an 'Outstanding' grade, which was lowered last year because of low standards in teaching of the Arabic language.
The school did not offer a sufficiently challenging programme, which restricted student attainment and progress in the language according to the 2010 DSIB annual report by. The curriculum was not meeting the needs of first language Arabic speakers as well, the report stated.
The findings were a wake-up-call for the JESS management, which decided to set up an Arabic department and recruited a new team of teachers. Wael Mohammed, who heads the department, said students are now divided into classes depending on their ability.
"The programme is designed according to the pace of the child and we provide extra support to students who find it more difficult than the others," he said.
"The topics are not just classroom chapters as we relate them to the outside world so that they can speak and understand things when they go to the market, for example."
The changes are being noticed by parents. Maryanne Grogan, the mother of two students at JESS, said she has seen a improvement in her children's language skills.
"The other day when Iona came home she picked up a fruit and said 'Ma, this is a peach' in Arabic," she said. "I don't know what a peach is called in Arabic but I was quite happy because she is trying harder now."
aahmed@thenational.ae
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
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A State of Passion
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full