The School of Arts at the University of Jordan (UJ) held the first national forum bringing together heads of Arabic language departments from public and private universities across the Kingdom.
The event was held under the patronage of the Dean of the School of Arts, Prof. Mohammad Ahmad Qudah, and was attended by vice and assistant deans, faculty members, and a distinguished group of linguists and poets from within and beyond the university.
Opening the forum, which was moderated by Dr. Murad Albayyari, Qudah emphasised that the Arabic language represents the nation’s identity, the hallmark of its civilisation, and the guardian of its cultural heritage. He noted that since the establishment of UJ’s Department of Arabic Language in 1962, the university has upheld Arabic’s esteemed status as the language of the Holy Qur’an and a luminous pillar among world languages. “We must continue to highlight its value and restore its brilliance, especially in the face of modern-day challenges,” he said.
Qudah also reaffirmed UJ’s commitment to enhancing students’ proficiency in Arabic, highlighting the mandatory “Language Skills” course for all students as a key step to counter linguistic decline in an age increasingly dominated by symbols, numbers, and “Arabizi” chat language.
For his part, Head of the Department of Arabic Language, Dr. Moath Al-Zu’bi, expressed pride in hosting the forum within the very department where many participants once studied. He stated that the gathering aims to unify academic efforts across Jordanian universities, aligning visions and strategies to serve the Arabic language and the cultural identity it embodies.
The one-day forum brought together leading scholars and researchers to explore strategies for safeguarding Arabic, diagnosing current challenges, and proposing practical measures to strengthen language instruction.
Participants identified several contributing factors behind the decline in language proficiency, including psychological and social pressures, competition from global languages, the spread of colloquial dialects, outdated curricula, and insufficient teacher engagement in cultivating a love for the language. They also emphasised the growing impact of digital technology and changing reading habits, both of which have further weakened students’ connection to classical Arabic