Today, Sunday, His Eminence Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, inaugurated the Al-Azhar Institute for Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers in the sixth district, Nasr City, in the presence of Dr. Muhammad Al-Dawini, Deputy of the Grand Imam, Dr. Nahla As-Sa’idi, Advisor to the Sheikh of Al-Azhar for International Students Affairs, and Sheikh Ayman Abdul Ghani, Head of the Al-Azhar Institutes Sector, and a group of senior leaders in Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
Dr. Nahla As-Sa’idi briefed His Eminence on the purpose of establishing the institute, its main pillars and teaching strategy, explaining that the 4-storey institute is located on an area of approximately 1000 meters. She added that it consists of 17 classrooms with a total capacity of 360 students, a group of administrative offices, meeting halls, a mosque, a library, a computer lab, an auditorium, and a seminar hall.
His Eminence the Grand Imam expressed his appreciation for the role of the for the Education Development Center of for Al-Azhar International Students (EDCAIS), and for its efforts in following up on the establishment and design of the institute and equipping it with the cutting-edge education technologies, supporting international students, meeting their needs and enhancing their educational and cultural capabilities as part of EDCAIS’ strategic plan. Such a plan aims at expansion of institutes for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.
It is noteworthy that this institute is a link in a chain within Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif continuous role in spreading and teaching the Arabic language to its non-Arabic speaking students and to all other learners of Arabic. This is integral to Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif’s global message of preserving religion and language. The new institute operates under the EDCAIS supervision.