Dubai expats get free Arabic classes

It's back to school as expats in Dubai get free Arabic classes.

Transcript

00:00Learning the alphabet from scratch. It's back to school for Dubai's expats at Dera's Al-Thawar

00:17Library. The classroom looks somewhat like a kindergarten, but these students are serious

00:22about learning Arabic. They come from all walks of life and from many different backgrounds.

00:28And the good news is these classes are free for the next three weeks. The municipality

00:34says it's one way to encourage people to get to grips with Arabic and connect with the

00:39local culture.

00:45This is the animated Mohammed Jafar. He's been teaching Arabic since the 1960s. He teaches

00:51students the basics, from learning the numbers, colours, days and months. But don't be fooled

00:57by his studious look. He uses a combination of comedy and multimedia to get those tricky

01:03rules of grammar across.

01:21Say hello to the Alam family. They come three times a week and are practising together at

01:26home. It's all about communicating better with Arabs.

01:38This late learner says it's about time she learned Arabic once and for all.

01:56For some, it's like going back to the school days, bringing out the mischievous streak

02:00in them. For others, it's just a struggle to stay on the ball after a hard day at the

02:05office.

02:06The night classes are also held at Al-Thawar Library, but Dubai Public Libraries say they

02:11have been turning people back because of the high demand.

02:15And as they pack up for the day, these students will be practising their kh from their gh

02:22as they head home. Sunita Menon, Gulf News.

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