…. and we learned that we cannot used Pakistani textbooks.
from DAWN Newspaper
DAWN recently published an interesting article written by two Pakistanis who started teaching Urdu as a Foreign Language in America. Their insights are both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. Here are just a few snippets of their article:
The US Department of State considers the learning and teaching of Urdu “critical to national and economic prosperity of America.” Urdu is considered one of the “critical languages” included in the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) programme funded by the Department of State. …..
Most Urdu language textbooks being used in American classrooms are written either by scholars of Indian origin or are collaborative efforts of American and Indian-origin scholars.We are yet to come across any authoritative textbook of Urdu as a foreign language written by a Pakistani scholar.
Visit this link to read their full article on Dawn.
We at Zubaan have similarly discovered that their is a lack of Urdu textbooks for foreign students, especially coming out of Pakistan. This is why we have made it our mission to develop materials (find here).
What about you? What materials, books or resources would you find helpful for your language learning journey? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!