We all want to make sure our little ones have the best start in life.
And, according to a new survey, that means teaching them Arabic.
That’s right; according to research conducted by the British Council, the language as the second most important for workers of the future.
A new project organised by the British Council proposes to start teaching Arabic to children across the country, starting with 1,000 pupils in eight clusters of schools.
These are in Belfast, Sheffield, Manchester, London (where there are two), Barnstaple in Devon, Blackburn and Bradford.
Faraan Sayed, who’s been working on the programme, said: “There are more than 300 million Arabic speakers across the world – in the Middle East and North Africa.”
The drive to teach Arabic will be stepped up when the British Council sends out a “language and culture” pack to around 5,000 primary schools in September later this year.
They hope that this will persuade them to take up the subject – and give their pupils an insight into the culture of the Arabic world.
The British Council also recommend having your children learn one of the following important world languages; Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish, and Japanese.
Will you be encouraging your son or daughter to learn Arabic, in a bid to prepare them for a successful future?
Let us know via Facebook or Twitter [@CloserOnline] now.