- ARAB NEWS
- 27 Apr 2024
Since 1975
Arab News Japan
The demand for Japanese language courses by students in the United Arab Emirates remains high despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with a number of educational institutions planning to extend their Japanese language courses in 2021.
The Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU), in coordination with the Abu Dhabi office of the Japan International Cooperation Centre (JICE), a Japanese government-supported organization will extend the Japanese language curricular courses during the upcoming year, which currently has 44 Emirati students are enrolled.
The general increase in Japanese language among Emirati students has resulted in the extension of Japanese programs in other educational institutions.
Japanese Clubs that offer students the opportunity to learn the Japanese language and culture have remained active throughout Abu Dhabi and Dubai, despite the challenges brought upon by remote learning due to the pandemic.
In 2019, 27 students completed extracurricular Japanese courses at Zayed University (ZU). While in 2020, Increased interest in general for Japanese language among Emirati students has resulted in additional educational institutions also extending their Japanese programs.
In response to student demand, the university is in the final stages of concluding an agreement with JICE to allow the establishment of such courses in the spring of 2021. This landmark agreement will allow both, students from Zayed University as well as members from the general public to enroll in the course.
Extracurricular Japanese language courses are also offered at UAE University, which is conducted through a two-week summer intensive online program that is run in its Continuing Education Center. Last year the course attracted seven students, with the university planning to offer the course again this summer.
Mr. Omar Mohammad Al Remeithi, who has completed the Japanese language course at the KU said, “I was first drawn to Japanese culture through the anime series called “Gundam”. When I was little I would build Gundam plastic models with my siblings, which became an exciting hobby that we all enjoyed. The parts came in a package with an assembly guide written in Japanese, and it was my first exposure to the language,” Omar Mohammad Al Remeithi, who has completed the Japanese language course at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology said.
“I am interested in Japanese language and culture, and intrigued how Japan has become a creative leader in producing anime, manga and video games. I plan to visit Japan with my siblings and friends and wanted to speak the language with Japanese people to have a better understanding of the Japanese culture,” Al Remeithi added.
Another student at the university, Somayyah Althabahi, who is pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering, discussed his plans in continuing his higher education in Japan and how the availability of Japanese courses would make his transition into the country easier.
“I plan to undertake a master’s degree at a leading university in Japan, where having Japanese language skills will help me to communicate more with the people,” Althabahi said.
“Learning Japanese in the UAE could have been more challenging if it wasn’t for the Japanese language course offered by KU and the instructor, Ms. Yumi Kobayashi, who provided maximum effort and support to create an excellent learning experience, which also motivated me to learn not only the language but also about Japanese culture, lifestyle and the people. I have become more curious about Japan in general as a result,” Althabahi added.
The Japanese language instructor at JICE, Yumi Kobayashi commented on the increased interest for Japanese language learning in the UAE by saying that “It has been my pleasure to meet so many aspiring and hardworking students in the UAE. They might have been first interested in Japanese anime or manga when they were young, but through the courses they have become more interested in learning broader cultural aspects, language and Japanese ways of thinking.”
“I have created additional teaching materials and content in order to make the classes more interactive and engaging for an online platform. I aim to impassion the students to learn despite the courses becoming online,” Kobayashi added.
The JICE Abu Dhabi office coordinates opportunities for students to learn Japanese language at multiple educational institutions in the UAE, as well as offering support for Emirati students planning to study in Japan in future.
“Since 2015, a total of 671 students have completed the Japanese courses at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. The COVID-19 pandemic raises challenges for both students and instructors, however these challenges have been largely overcome due to the students’ passion to learn Japanese language, and creative teaching methods employed by the instructor,” Shigeto Aoki, General Manager of JICE Abu Dhabi said.
