Manama: Kuwaiti teachers are being encouraged to be involved in a special US programme to teach Arabic to American students in a US college, the US embassy’s Cultural Affairs Officer has said.
The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FTLA) Programme is a nine-month activity for early career English teachers or professionals in related fields who will teach Arabic to US students in a US college, Zennia Paganini said on Tuesday.
The programme is fully funded by the Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and it is an integral part of the Fulbright Foreign Student exchange programme, she added.
Paganini told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) that the participants would have “an excellent opportunity to extend their knowledge of the society and culture of the United States while serving as cultural ambassadors of Kuwait”.
In addition to their role as teaching assistants, participants will engage in community service activities, learn about US values, and share their Kuwaiti culture with American citizens.
“This year, we are delighted to be working closely with the [Kuwaiti] Ministry of Education to publicise the programme to English language teachers,” Paganini told the news agency.
Kuwaiti teachers will also have the opportunity to connect with other language teaching professionals and academics, she added.
This year, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs is expected to fund around 100 Arabic Fulbright FLTA participants from the Middle East and North Africa.
The participants will meet in an Arabic FLTA orientation to prepare for their teaching experience.
During the programme, they will be in direct communication with American students and faculty members on US campuses, which will help strengthen their foreign language instruction skills, and refine their English language proficiency.
They will also interact with host communities in conversation groups, extra-curricular activities, and community outreach projects. As a result, FLTAs also typically gain experience in public speaking and presenting.
Participants attend a midyear enrichment conference, and also enrol in two college courses dealing with US studies per semester at their host institutions, which affords them the chance to gain further insight into US culture and society.
Following the programme, Fulbright FLTAs return to their home countries and can immediately apply their newly acquired professional skills and experience to directly benefit their own educational institutions.
Paganini said that applicants must be Kuwaiti citizens who are English language teachers or recent graduates of American studies, journalism/media studies, or American/English literature.
English language proficiency is mandatory and should be demonstrated with a TOEFL IBT minimum score of 79-80 or an ILETS score of 6.0 in total.
Completed applications should be submitted through the links available on the US embassy’s social media platforms on Twitter and Instagram before September 4.
