Al Azhar English Language Resource Center

English Language Resource Center
Location
AlAzhar University, Darrasa
Egypt
Information
Established 2007
Director Kimberly Chilmonik
Website English Language Resource Center (ELRC), Al-Azhar University
Facebook Page

Al Azhar English Language Resource Center (ELRC) was founded in 2007 at the Nasr City, Cairo campus of Al Azhar University as a result of collaboration between Al Azhar University and the United States Embassy in Cairo. The US Embassy provides the ELRC with American English Language Fellows with master's degrees in teaching English as a second language through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is overseen by the Cairo Regional English Language Office. In 2017, the center was moved to Al Azhar University, Darrasa branch - a few meters away from Al-Azhar Mosque.

AMIDEAST administers the English Language Resource Center (ELRC) at Al-Azhar University. The center provides intensive English language instruction to junior faculty members from Islamic and Arabic Studies, among other faculties, as well as teacher training to select Al-Azhar graduates from the Faculty of Language and Translation. The English Language Resource Center (ELRC) at Al-Azhar University began in 2007 as a joint initiative between the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and Al-Azhar University to increase the English proficiency levels of junior faculty members.

The ELRC offers general English classes for up to 90 students at a time. Each student is given the opportunity to study for a maximum of two years in order to complete all four stages (beginner, high-beginner, low-intermediate, and intermediate), which are aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Academic English skills are integrated in stage 4, and participants in this stage are given the ITP TOEFL exam upon successful completion of the course. Students are also involved in a variety of professional and academic workshops. In addition to offering quality, student-centered English instruction, the center also aims to enhance East-West cultural and religious understanding by hosting a number of different speakers on related topics, employing American English teachers, and offering students the opportunity to participate in online dialogue programs, such as Soliya Connect. Selected ELRC students have also been chosen to participate in the International Visitors Leadership Program through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.


ELRC Teaching Staff

ELRC teachers are all accredited teachers who hold the Professional Certificate of English Language Teaching (PCELT) from Amideast and World Learning SIT. Below is a list of the staff names and titles:

  1. Mrs. Iman Ahmad (Esl Teacher and Program Assistant)
  2. Mr. Muhammad Sabry AbdElHady (ESL Teacher)
  3. Mrs. Heba Antar (ESL Teacher)
  4. Mr. Mohamed Abdulraheem Taha (ESL teacher)

Criticism

Due largely to political sensitivities surrounding the project, many Al Azhar faculty initially opposed the creation of the center based on suspicions of indoctrination or a hidden American agenda. The Egyptian English-language periodical Al Ahram Weekly featured the ELRC around the time of its opening.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Al Ahram. American English December 2007

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