Latest news with #ArabicReading
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
MBRF launches ‘Knowledge Lounge' in Canada to promote Arabic language globally
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) has launched its 'Knowledge Lounge' initiative in Canada, marking a significant step in its efforts to cultivate a culture of Arabic reading. The move also aligns with the initiative's mission to encourage sustainable knowledge development and foster analytical and critical thinking across diverse communities, both regionally and globally. The launch was inaugurated with an initial introductory session held in Toronto, in partnership with the Mosaic Foundation. The event featured Hussein Darwish from the Dubai International Program for Writing (DIPW) and Hind Zareef, Director of the Mosaic Foundation. During the session, Hussein Darwish emphasized the Knowledge Lounge as a community-driven knowledge initiative rooted in the belief that knowledge plays a key role in shaping individuals and societies. It also provides a platform for open discussions and interactions among readers, authors, researchers, and experts from various fields. Hind Zareef expressed pride in the Mosaic Foundation's partnership with MBRF, highlighting it as a key contribution to the world of reading and a significant step in showcasing the Arabic language globally. She also emphasized the importance of knowledge-driven collaborations in raising intellectual standards and improving the reading preferences of the Mosaic Foundation's members. Additionally, she stressed the importance of strengthening communication with the Arab world through MBRF and its role in nurturing strong emotional bonds and fostering a shared sense of belonging to a rich civilization that has historically linked East with West and North with South. As part of its initiative, MBRF launched the Knowledge Lounge in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, earlier in March 2025. The move was in collaboration with the Federal Youth Foundation of the UAE, represented by the Global Youth Council in Australia. The expansion reflects MBRF's increasing efforts to broaden the scope of the initiative and reach a larger international audience. His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of MBRF, said: 'The expansion of the Knowledge Lounge initiative to Canada reflects our strategic goal of connecting Arab readers across the globe with their linguistic and intellectual identity. It promotes the sustainability of knowledge and provides communities opportunities to utilize modern reading tools in a supportive environment. Additionally, this move represents a long-term investment in developing minds capable of generating and sharing knowledge, reinforcing MBRF's position as an active contributor in the global knowledge landscape." H.E. bin Huwaireb added: 'At MBRF, we strongly believe that knowledge has no boundaries. This pushes us to work to ensure our initiatives reach communities across the globe, connecting cultures and reinforcing the presence of the Arabic language in global spaces, creating genuine, sustainable knowledge impact. We will continue our efforts to expand the reach of the Knowledge Lounge further and boost our partnerships to attain our goal of building knowledge and creativity-driven societies.' Throughout July, the Knowledge Lounge is organizing an engaging series of sessions across various cities in the UAE. In Dubai, the initiative will host a Writing Lounge session focused on Nancy Kress's book on novel-writing techniques, along with discussions on 'Cold Fear', a short story collection by Aisha Sultan, and 'The Year of the Fat Cats' by Abdulwahab Al-Hammadi, both to be held at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library (MBRL). In Khor Fakkan, a session will be held at the Platform Café in the Al-Sidra Heritage Area to discuss 'Margins on Cities, Travel, and Departure' by Aisha Sultan. In Abu Dhabi, a virtual session will focus on 'The Girl on Paper' by Guillaume Musso. Two sessions will be held in Al Ain, one on 'Sugar Street' by Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, and another on 'Truth and Writing' by Bothayna Al-Essa. In Fujairah, the initiative continues its literary engagement with the Free Readings series, providing an in-depth exploration of various literary themes. The program will also tour Sharjah and Ajman with a special session featuring writer Dr. Khaled Al-Salami. In Ras Al Khaimah, Dr. Abeer Al-Rasbi will lead a morning workshop at the Peak Lounge, guiding participants through a symbolic analysis of the book 'Remaining Tattoo'. The Youth Lounge, hosted in partnership with the Al-Naqsh platform, will feature a discussion on 'The Most Splendid Journey' by Fadwa Touqan. Additional sessions will be held in collaboration with Al-Naqsh and DIPW to explore 'White Nights in Dubai' by Sarah Mahmoud Al-Khatib, 'The Blue Punishment' by Ahmed Naeem Al-Baz, and 'Dough of Longing', written and illustrated by Nusaiba Al-Munis. Additionally, the Knowledge Lounge is teaming up with the Digital Knowledge Center to host two engaging sessions. The first will cover 'Why Digital Transformations Fail: Where Do We Start and How Do We Continue?' by Tony Saldana, while the second will discuss 'The Origin of the Universe: Ten Keys to Understanding Existence' by Frank Wilczek. Internationally, the initiative will maintain an active presence with a session in Australia, organized in partnership with the Federal Youth Foundation and the Australian Youth Council. This session will explore 'Soft Power: Volunteer Work and Humanitarian Giving Following Zayed's Footsteps' by Adel Al Shamry. For further information, please contact: Orient Planet Group (OPG) Email: media@ Website:
Zawya
18-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Miqyas Al Dhad completes Arab World's largest field survey ahead of launching first comprehensive scientific framework to assess Arabic literacy
Abu Dhabi: In a significant milestone towards enhancing Arabic reading proficiency among native students, Arabic Scale - known as 'Miqyas Al Dhad' has successfully concluded the final phase of its comprehensive field survey. This achievement paves the way for the official launch of the Arabic reading scale in the third quarter of this year, following an intensive research effort grounded in advanced scientific methodologies. The field survey was carried out in collaboration with Ministries of Education and school chains across the Arab world and involved the active participation of hundreds of educators and language experts. The field survey encompassed over 110,000 students from 204 schools across 70 rural and urban areas in nine Arab countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the State of Libya, the Lebanese Republic, and the Republic of Iraq, reflecting the initiative's scope and scale. The field survey was administered digitally using tablets, desktops, and computer labs. Rigorous proctoring was followed to ensure security of survey administration. In developing the field survey items, several reading frameworks and standards were reviewed and the socio-cognitive framework for reading (Khalifa & Weir, 2009) was utilized. It should be noted that the sociocognitive framework for reading has been used by reputable examination boards such as Cambridge. The key components of the sociocognitive framework for reading comprehension are linguistic knowledge, cognitive processing, background knowledge, and metacognitive strategies. In building the reading items for the survey, a rigorous methodology was followed in terms of recruiting, inducting, training, monitoring and evaluating item writers to ensure the highest standards of item quality. The Arabic Scale is developed using triangulation scientific research methodology that integrates both quantitative and qualitative analyses of multiple data sources. In addition to data gathered from the field survey on students' reading proficiency, the second data source involved the creation of a large Arabic corpus featuring over 70 million structures and words, derived from more than 8,000 carefully curated Arabic texts from various subject areas, fields and topics reflecting the language's richness, culture, heritage and diversity. The third data source was via conducting a pairwise comparative study with participation from over 450 Arabic language experts and educators from 18 Arab countries. In this study, participants were given two passages and had to identify which one was more difficult. The data collected from this study was used to create rankings of difficulty for 2,000 passages. These were the basis for the machine learning algorithms of Miqyas Al Dhad readability formulae. Pairwise study is a known methodology in the machine learning field. Smart and Comprehensive Services / Innovative and Large-scale Solutions Miqyas Al Dhad offers a comprehensive suite of smart tools and services designed to elevate Arabic reading proficiency and enable accurate assessment of reading ability and text readability. At the Centre of it all is the Reading Scale, an innovative tool that evaluates reading comprehension, empowering educators to assess student reading ability and pinpoint learning needs accurately. Additional tools include: a validated item bank of reading items suitable for each school grade; a Smart Text Analyzer, an AI-powered tool for evaluating text complexity; and high frequency keyword lists offering a rich academic vocabulary database for every school grade. It also includes 'Find-a-Book', a smart digital hub that provides students, educators, and parents with measured texts and books suitable for their reading levels and interests. Miqyas Al Dhad further supports educators through its innovative Reading Growth Plan, a predictive system that monitors student reading development over time and delivers actionable insights to guide educational planning based on individual needs. A Scientific Reference for Arabic Educational Development Miqyas Al Dhad marks a significant milestone in advancing Arabic literacy. By providing standardised, research-based tools, it enables the creation of more effective and responsive educational curricula tailored to the needs of educators. Additionally, it provides educational decision-makers and researchers with accurate data to understand linguistic challenges and devise sustainable solutions. The initiative aims to empower students to use Arabic confidently and efficiently across various academic and professional contexts, establishing new criteria for excellence in Arabic language learning. About Arabic Scale Arabic Scale, also known as Miqyas Al Dhad, is a leading company specialising in advanced educational assessment solutions for the Arabic language. Miqyas Al Dhad is the first standardised framework of its kind designed to assess Arabic comprehension ability from Grade 1 to Grade 12, based on scientific and technological foundations that are specifically tailored to cater for the demands of the educational and cultural environment in the Arab world.
Zawya
18-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Miqyas Al Dhad completes Arab world's largest field survey
Abu Dhabi: In a significant milestone towards enhancing Arabic reading proficiency among native students, Arabic Scale - known as 'Miqyas Al Dhad' has successfully concluded the final phase of its comprehensive field survey. This achievement paves the way for the official launch of the Arabic reading scale in the third quarter of this year, following an intensive research effort grounded in advanced scientific methodologies. The field survey was carried out in collaboration with Ministries of Education and school chains across the Arab world and involved the active participation of hundreds of educators and language experts. The field survey encompassed over 110,000 students from 204 schools across 70 rural and urban areas in nine Arab countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Sultanate of Oman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Morocco, the State of Libya, the Lebanese Republic, and the Republic of Iraq, reflecting the initiative's scope and scale. The field survey was administered digitally using tablets, desktops, and computer labs. Rigorous proctoring was followed to ensure security of survey administration. In developing the field survey items, several reading frameworks and standards were reviewed and the socio-cognitive framework for reading (Khalifa & Weir, 2009) was utilized. It should be noted that the sociocognitive framework for reading has been used by reputable examination boards such as Cambridge. The key components of the sociocognitive framework for reading comprehension are linguistic knowledge, cognitive processing, background knowledge, and metacognitive strategies. In building the reading items for the survey, a rigorous methodology was followed in terms of recruiting, inducting, training, monitoring and evaluating item writers to ensure the highest standards of item quality. The Arabic Scale is developed using triangulation scientific research methodology that integrates both quantitative and qualitative analyses of multiple data sources. In addition to data gathered from the field survey on students' reading proficiency, the second data source involved the creation of a large Arabic corpus featuring over 70 million structures and words, derived from more than 8,000 carefully curated Arabic texts from various subject areas, fields and topics reflecting the language's richness, culture, heritage and diversity. The third data source was via conducting a pairwise comparative study with participation from over 450 Arabic language experts and educators from 18 Arab countries. In this study, participants were given two passages and had to identify which one was more difficult. The data collected from this study was used to create rankings of difficulty for 2,000 passages. These were the basis for the machine learning algorithms of Miqyas Al Dhad readability formulae. Pairwise study is a known methodology in the machine learning field. Smart and Comprehensive Services / Innovative and Large-scale Solutions Miqyas Al Dhad offers a comprehensive suite of smart tools and services designed to elevate Arabic reading proficiency and enable accurate assessment of reading ability and text readability. At the Centre of it all is the Reading Scale, an innovative tool that evaluates reading comprehension, empowering educators to assess student reading ability and pinpoint learning needs accurately. Additional tools include: a validated item bank of reading items suitable for each school grade; a Smart Text Analyzer, an AI-powered tool for evaluating text complexity; and high frequency keyword lists offering a rich academic vocabulary database for every school grade. It also includes 'Find-a-Book', a smart digital hub that provides students, educators, and parents with measured texts and books suitable for their reading levels and interests. Miqyas Al Dhad further supports educators through its innovative Reading Growth Plan, a predictive system that monitors student reading development over time and delivers actionable insights to guide educational planning based on individual needs. A Scientific Reference for Arabic Educational Development Miqyas Al Dhad marks a significant milestone in advancing Arabic literacy. By providing standardised, research-based tools, it enables the creation of more effective and responsive educational curricula tailored to the needs of educators. Additionally, it provides educational decision-makers and researchers with accurate data to understand linguistic challenges and devise sustainable solutions. The initiative aims to empower students to use Arabic confidently and efficiently across various academic and professional contexts, establishing new criteria for excellence in Arabic language learning. About Arabic Scale Arabic Scale, also known as Miqyas Al Dhad, is a leading company specialising in advanced educational assessment solutions for the Arabic language. Miqyas Al Dhad is the first standardised framework of its kind designed to assess Arabic comprehension ability from Grade 1 to Grade 12, based on scientific and technological foundations that are specifically tailored to cater for the demands of the educational and cultural environment in the Arab world. For more information, please visit:
ILoveQatar.net
02-06-2025
- General
- ILoveQatar.net
Royal Grammar School Guildford Qatar Class of 2025 celebrates graduation ceremony
The Royal Grammar School Guildford Qatar (RGSGQ) celebrated the graduation of its Year 12 Class of 2025 on Saturday, 31 May, in a distinguished ceremony held at the Ritz-Carlton Doha, Qatar. The event brought together students, families, faculty, and guests to mark a significant milestone, honoring the achievements of students poised to embark on their higher academic journeys including pursuing degrees in engineering, medicine, business, and military services both in Qatar and abroad. 'In a world that often prizes certainty and quick answers, your willingness to stay curious, to try, and to sometimes fail, has been your true success. This kind of courage will serve you far beyond today, because the future you are stepping into demands not perfection, but resilience and authenticity,' Mr David Keery, Head of Secondary School. 'Graduation isn't just an ending — it's a beginning. As you walk across this stage, you're stepping into a world that needs your creativity, your compassion, and your commitment to making a difference. Don't be afraid to dream boldly, be kind, and stand up for what's right,' Mrs Fiona Scott, Principal of RGSGQ. A highlight of the evening was the special recognition of students who demonstrated exceptional dedication and achievement during their time at RGSGQ. Mohammed Abdelhakim Al Yafei received the Award for Arabic Reading and Writing, Bana Nasser R. A. Al-Nuaimi was recognised with the AS Graduate of Merit, the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Prefect Programme was given to Hissa Al Naemi, and Noor Sultan Al-Jabor received the Principal's Award. The ceremony was filled with touching anecdotes and messages, and the pride of the RGSGQ community that has watched its students grow into confident and capable young adults. RGSGQ congratulates its Class of 2025 and looks forward to watching their impact on the world. As Mrs. Scott reminded them, 'Always remember you are an RGS graduate. Be bold. Be brave. And most importantly, be true to yourself.' The Royal Grammar School Guildford, Qatar (RGSGQ), is an independent British international school providing world-class education for students aged 3 to 17. The school's partnership with The Royal Grammar School in the UK enables RGSGQ to benefit from their rich tradition of over 500 years of academic success. For more information about RGSGQ's programs and admissions, contact the school at +974 4036 0450, email [email protected], or visit their website at
