BERNAMA Helps UKM Student In Mastering Arabic

By Muammar Eusouffi Zainol Abidin KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Arabic version of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) news has become the choice of Arabic language students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM - The National University of Malaysia) to master the language. UKM Arabic Language Unit, Faculty of Islamic Studies (FPI) language teacher Zuraida Shaadon said Bernama’s Arabic news was among the important materials to train the students to master four essential skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in Arabic. "It’s not easy to master Arabic and it requires very exact skills. Every week we make it compulsory for the students to read the Arabic version of Bernama website and analyse the news," she said when met by Bernama here recently. Zuraida said the news, which was current and focused on local issues, had made it easier for the students to understand and master the language well. Meanwhile, UKM chairman of Arabic Language Committee Assoc Prof Dr Kaseh Abu Bakar said that lately, Arabic had become an important language in the country especially in the education and tourism sectors. Bernama’s Arabic News Service, launched on Oct 24, 2002, aims at enhancing the dissemination of information on Malaysia to the world. The service includes translation of news, features and special reports related to the Islamic development in the country and the ties between Malaysia and Arab countries. -- BERNAMA