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Moroccan Activist Advocates Bridging Classical Arabic and Darija for Education Reform
Monday 18 January 2021, by
Noureddine Ayouch, who sparked a heated controversy nearly two years ago when he called for making Darija the language of instruction, is back on the offensive. The advertising professional and community activist calls for working on "establishing a bridge between classical Arabic and Darija", by integrating words from the first language into the second, so that everyone can speak them easily.
Noureddine Ayouch, who also masters and defends Arabic, the Amazigh language, as well as Darija, says it clearly: he likes classical Arabic, only he points out, it cannot allow the function of teaching science. "Science does not exist in Arabic," he said at a symposium organized by the Moroccan Association for the Improvement of the Quality of Education "Amaken", reports Hespress. For the community activist, "Arabic was the language of science at a certain time, but this is no longer the case today." "Scientific books in Arabic are translated, and if we want Arabic to be qualified to teach science, we must provide it with the necessary capacities," he advocates.
"A person who speaks fluent Arabic only cannot find a job," argues the advertiser, adding that "company owners are looking for people who speak at least two foreign languages fluently," while "with Arabic only, we cannot move forward."
And to continue: the issue of teaching foreign languages should be considered from the point of view of the student’s interest. "We must not be afraid of foreign languages, because they are necessary and have an interest for the student," he assures.
Ayouch also called for taking care of the Amazigh language as well, which is part of Moroccan culture. "We only have 1023 teachers teaching Tamazight. A sufficient number of teachers should be trained in this direction, and their social status improved," he concluded.