Wait really? Unrelated to the wider topic, I’m finding it hard to believe the majority of any Arab nation’s people speak a medium, let alone advanced, level of English.
It’s all thanks to the English for colonizing us. Usually, the second language spoken is either English or French, depending on who this country celebrates its independence from.
I even was an English teacher in the Middle East at some point lol
Yes, English is taught in most Arab countries starting in Grade 1 all the way up to highschool. Almost every upper educational organization will offer students English 101 if they fail a placement test or need extra help.
I know about English education in the Middle East since I’m from there; what I meant is: Does it actually stick in Gaza? At least where I’m from it goes like this: You just memorize the words and grammar, somehow pass the exam and then forget all of it, after high school you go from kinda sorta having intermediate level English back to only knowing the basics unless you study a field where you learn in English. I doubt the average person in the street from my country would be able to have a functional conversation with a, say, foreign tourist, so I’m wondering if it’s different in Gaza.
There are certainly problems with teaching it as a second language, but it’s still taught by UNRWA teachers (to at least one third of the kids there) from an early age.
I grew up in Jordan and the average young person will in most cases speak good English. It fades with older generations given how much their education sucked, but a large portion of people speak it. I’ve even been told that it was taught better in the 80’s than now.
Don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t speak enough English to communicate with someone on the street except for my Grandma and she was basically illiterate.
What country are you from?
Ps: to answer the question specifically about Gaza, I don’t have any stats for that, but I know the UNRWA schools teach English
