US grant to help university to teach English

Daniel Bardsley

• Last Updated: August 23. 2009 11:39PM UAE / August 23. 2009 7:39PM GMT

The US State Department has given the Dubai branch of an American university a grant to help advance its English-language teaching.

Michigan State University Dubai will spend the US$40,000 (Dh147,000) on training 24 teachers in the latest methods and technology used to teach English to non-native speakers. The teaching course will run in March next year at MSU’s facility in Dubai International Academic City.

Kaye Dunn, director of the MSU Dubai Academy, the English teaching arm of MSU Dubai that was awarded the grant, said it was vital to develop English-language teaching skills here.

“English-language teaching is a critical factor in improving the opportunities for students in the Middle East to enter higher education and to enjoy rewarding career choices,” she said.

Currently, poor English skills are proving a major barrier to many students hoping to study for a degree in the UAE. At the federal universities, most students must take additional English tuition before they can begin their courses, while some branch campuses of foreign universities have struggled to find students with good English skills to join their courses.

Ms Dunn said the MSU Academy had been set up to help non-native English speakers improve their language skills so they could take a degree course.

dbardsley@thenational.ae