CHICAGO (WBBM) -- More Chicago public school students will have the opportunity to learn Arabic, thanks to a federal grant.
Two thousand students in ten schools are currently learning the ancient language.
A three-year, 888-thousand dollar US Department of Education grant will allow Chicago to expand the program to three more schools.
CPS is opening the process for applications now and plans to announce which schools this academic year.
Mayor Daley announced the funding at Durkin Park Elementary in the Scottsdale neighborhood, where students in kindergarten through fifth grade are learning Arabic every day.
Daley says the knowledge is important in a global economy.
Feryal (free-YAHL) Alzubi teaches Arabic at Durkin Park.
She says some parents resisted initially, but she convinced them this is an excellent opportunity for students and stresses that she only teaches language and culture - not politics or religion.
Daley says he's not worried about discrimination against Arabic speakers in light of the Ft. Hood shootings, saying people are killed with guns daily and an entire group can't be blamed for the actions of an individual.
The grant money will go to professional development and expanding the SAFARI-Blackboard program, which uses computer technology to link students and teachers in different schools with web cams.
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