Conference: Arabic as a Foreign and Heritage Language in the German Education System

Arabic holds a significant position in the global linguistic landscape, boasting the fifth-largest number of speakers worldwide and bearing immense historical, religious, and geopolitical significance. Despite its prominence, Arabic remains conspicuously absent from the curriculum of German secondary and primary schools. To date, no German state has formulated a comprehensive Arabic programme for educational institutions, neither in practice nor in theory. This deficiency manifests in the absence of Arabic-specific curricula, a dearth of teacher training programmes dedicated to Arabic instruction at German-speaking universities, and a lack of suitable teaching materials tailored for children and adolescents. 

The conference aims to address this pressing issue by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the current state of affairs and deliberating potential policy reforms. Hosted by the Centre for the Arabic Language at Münster University, it will convene relevant stakeholders from academia, government, and educational institutions. Participants will scrutinize educational systems in countries like the United States and France to gain insights, evaluate the demand for Arabic instruction within Germany, and analyse the financial and administrative hurdles hindering the integration of Arabic programmes across various German states.