RAMALLAH, August 27 (JMCC) - The study of Arabic will be compulsory for fifth-grade students in Jewish public schools in Northern
Israel under a pilot project starting in September, an Israeli Ministry of Education official said Tuesday.
Arabic is already compulsory from seventh to ninth grade in Jewish schools throughout the country, after which it is elective. The program will begin with about 50 Arab teachers, and could expand depending upon its success and the availability of teachers, said Shlomo Alon, the ministry’s chief supervisor for Arabic language. The program is a way for students and teachers “to look at the other and to share views about life, customs and culture,” Mr. Alon said.
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