Bilingual language education as key to sustainable knowledge production for the knowledge economy in the gulf

Fatma F.S. Said, Zayed UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Transformative Leadership and Sustainable Innovation in Education: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Publication Date

6-24-2024

Abstract

For education systems to meet the demands of the knowledge economy and prepare their students to be adequately skilled for a more diversified economy in the Arabian Gulf, bold and innovative initiatives must be taken in order to ensure that these skills contribute towards a sustainable knowledge economy. Gulf states have been preparing for a transition towards, what the World Bank calls 'a knowledge economy' (World Bank, 2013) where economies will be run by the skills and knowledge capital of their workforce with technology and its advancement playing a central role. Many governments have identified the education sector as a site in which such ambitions can be met and have therefore introduced models of education where English is the medium of instruction. The rationale behind such a decision is based on multiple reasons, mainly because English is considered by some as the language of science and discovery (see Crystal, 2003). In all discussions surrounding the overhaul of education systems and the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) namely, goal number four (quality education), the notion of the language through which students learn is a neglected area of inquiry. English is increasingly becoming the language of instruction at the university and progressively at the school level too. This means that young students lose out on adequately learning their mother tongue. The chapter argues that only through forward, bold, and novel decisions to teach students in both Arabic and English can there be a guarantee of a more sustainable knowledge economy across the Gulf.

ISBN

[9781837535361, 9781837535378]

Publisher

Emerald Publishing Limited

First Page

123

Last Page

145

Disciplines

Education | Linguistics

Keywords

Arabic language, Bilingualism, First-rate education system, Knowledge economy, Mother tongue education, Sustainable development goals

Scopus ID

85197132409

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

Link to Full Text

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