Pabana

These days English has become a vital requirement for employers and employees alike, not just in Saudi Arabia but across the world. English is the medium of global communication -- for business, ofcourse, but for so much else as well. Anyone wanting to succeed in today’s global village who does not have English might not have a chance. A number of countries have decided to switch their educationsystem to English so as to make their economies more competitive in future, Malaysia being a notable case. The number of private secondary schools teaching in English is increasing, mainly to meetparents’ demand. At the tertiary level, the new flagship university, KAUST, is an entirely English-language institution. At other universities many subjects, such as medicine, engineering, IT, economicsand business studies, are taught in English. Other subjects will join the list. Moreover, in a country that wants to create a high-skilled workforce able to compete in the world, it is clear that theneed for English is only going to grow.

Again, students here have very limited general knowledge. As they read in English, they regularly read topics about which they have not the vaguest idea intheir own language. They are not just confronted with new vocabulary, but with concepts, ideas and facts of which they are totally ignorant. This is very discouraging for the student.

Parents canprovide a good foundation for learning by encouraging children to read in Arabic at an early age. First start by reading to them and then encourage them to read books. Visit the many good bookshopswhich are around the Kingdom. Let your children browse through the books. Curtail the TV and the computer games at home. The sooner children are exposed to reading the better. Children have a livelycuriosity and this can be used to encourage them to read. Picture encyclopedias, general knowledge books, facts and figures, fairy stories can be used as a “soft” introduction to the written word. It is...