KUWAIT, Aug 30 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti teachers are invited to be involved in a special US program to teach Arabic to American students in a US college, declared the US Embassy's Cultural Attache Dr. Zennia Paganini Tuesday.
Explaining some features of the program, called the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, Dr. Paganini said it 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.
The program 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 program.
In interview with KUNA, the cultural attache shed some light on prospective impact of the program on the Kuwait-US relations, saying the FLTA participants will 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 being teaching assistants of Arabic to US students, 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 (Kuwait) Ministry of Education to publicize the program to English language teachers," Dr. Paganini told Kuwait News Agency.
Elaborating on the program benefits, she said Kuwaiti teachers will have an excellent opportunity to connect with other language teaching professionals and academics.
This year, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs is expected to fund approximately 100 Arabic Fulbright FLTA participants from the Middle East and North African region.
Those participants will meet in an Arabic FLTA orientation to prepare for their teaching experience. During the program, the FLTAs 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, extracurricular activities, and community outreach projects. As a result, FLTAs also typically gain experience in public speaking and presenting. FLTAs attend a mid-year enrichment conference, and also enroll in two college courses dealing with US studies per semester, at their host institutions, which affords them a wonderful chance to gain further insight into US culture and society. After the program, 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.
On application requirements, the cultural attache said applicants must be Kuwaiti citizens who are English 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 score (79-80 minimum) or ILETS score (6.0 in total). Complete applications should be submitted through the links available on the US Embassy's social media platforms onTwitter and Instagram. The Embassy will only contact short-listed applicants for interviews. Last date to submit applications will be on September 3. (end) rk