CAIRO — “My son cannot read or write in Arabic, even though he is Egyptian,” K.R., an Egyptian journalist living in Texas, told Al-Monitor. “This is one of the most important problems I face in the States. There are no Arabic teaching centers near my house.” He's pinned his hopes on an initiative Egyptian Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram Ebeid launched earlier this month that may just bridge the gap.

Ebeid said in an Oct. 8 press conference that the “Speak Egyptian” initiative targets Egyptian children abroad, aiming to entrench Egyptian identity by teaching them the Arabic language and Egypt's dialect, history, values, customs and traditions. The initiative is run in partnership with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood and Nahdet Misr Publishing Group.

Alaa Bakr, a member of the council, told Al-Monitor that the initiative will involve web-based educational programs that rely heavily on images and graphics to explain Egypt’s history, geography and culture. They will be available for download free of charge from the Ministry of Immigration and Expatriates Affairs' website.

Bakr said, “If the applications can be properly advertised to the target group — parents abroad — it will have tangible success.”