Edmonton Public Schools to make Arabic-language course sequences widely available

The Edmonton Public School Board building on Kingsway Avenue. (CTV News Edmonton)

The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) of trustees has approved Arabic language courses for students in the division which would be available from elementary to high school.

Locally developed courses are made to “complement, extend and/or expand upon provincial programs of study,” according to a Tuesday board report.

All courses of these types are developed by “other school authorities,” authorized by Alberta Education and Childcare and can be implemented by schools at no cost.

Southeast elementary school Grace Martin already offers Arabic Language and Culture Twelve-year, the sequence being offered across the division. As of March 2026, 168 students are enrolled.

The courses allow students to learn Arabic language and culture beginning in Kindergarten or Grade 1.

Board curriculum director Marnie Beaudoin told trustees the sequences were flexible, meaning schools could opt for three, six, nine or 12 years of course continuation.

Ward G trustee Saadiq Sumar says the changes would support families in the division.

“It provides an opportunity for students to learn either a new language or provide them with instruction on language in their mother tongue, which is incredibly important to making sure that students feel like they belong in schools,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

He pointed to Mandarin bilingual course sequences, which the board also offers, as programs that “enrich our community.”

The approval comes on the heels of board reconsiderations of second-language requirements for Grades 4 to 9 altogether last month. The board is seeking recommendations for engagement with schools about the change and will then have to vote on how to proceed.

The board also approved Competencies in Math 15, a three-and-five-credit course already being offered at 15 EPSB schools with 1,098 enrolments as of March 2026.

Now unanimously approved, the course materials will be available for any school in the division until the 2029-2030 school year.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall