Mrs. Letitia Cruikshank is Australian born and moved to Dubai in December 2008 with her husband and son. She joined ALC in January 2009. Has a Diploma in Business Administration and a Diploma in Information Technology Network Engineering. She spent the last 10 years working as a Business Manager in a Primary School in Canberra Australia. Has just commenced learning Arabic and is enjoying it immensely.

Ms. Cristina De Lira is a Filipino born in Manila, and has moved to Dubai in 1996. Cristina has worked in the hotel industry for the last 12 years. She joined ALC in June 2009. She has a BSc. in Management from Jose Rizal University.

Ms. Bariya Hassan Ataya, Palestinian / Lebanese a psychology graduate from Richmond-the International University in London, joined ALC in 1988 as a teacher. Bariya teaches all levels from Beginners one to Intermediate three including the conversational course. Bariya became Director of Studies in 1996 and has helped Maliha work on the books and course material over the years. Bariya has lived in Dubai all her life, loves Dubai and shared Maliha’s dream of bridging the cultural gap between the Middle East and the West. She worked on several Cultural courses and seminars for companies introducing new comers to the Middle East helping them to better understand and appreciate this part of the world.

Ms. Nadia Wehbe

Lebanese joined ALC team in 1988 teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to the IGCSE and A’ levels, Lina is one of our senior lectures she specializes in Classical Arabic. Lina helps with preparing material fro the courses, and has contributed immensely to the ALC programme. She writes: MarHaba, my name is Lina Yazbeck. I am married to Abdallah Labban.

I am Lebanese; I joined the A.L.C. team in September 1988. I teach Arabic from Beginners One level all the way to the IGCSE and A’Levels, and specialize in Classical Arabic. I have two degrees one in Business Administration and a Bachelor in International Affairs from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. I graduated in 1983 and started working as a journalist in one of the news agencies in Beirut, was part of the F.I.J.E.T. ( International Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers), and then taught French as a first language in a French school for three years.

By 1988, I decided to come to Dubai to stay with my parents who were here since 1960.
A few months after I arrived to Dubai, I met the most wonderful woman who changed the course of my life: Maliha Wehbe, a pioneer in her field. Her personality, her charisma, her energy and strength, her kindness and most of all her love and passion for the Arabic Language have fascinated me thus made me want to be part of her world. I believed in her unconventional approach and techniques of teaching, being an unconventional teacher myself. I took the challenge, and here I am after20 years still an adamant advocate of Maliha Wehbe’s method of teaching.

I had the pleasure and the privilege to work with Maliha on several books, programmes and syllabuses, namely the Arabic Alphabet Guide, the IGCSE books series, the A’level books series, and the French books series for young beginners. I am still contributing to helping with material preparation up to now. Maliha’s impact on my life was great; she believed in me and pushed me to give more and more.

Working with the A.L.C. not only revealed to me how much I like being a teacher, but it also brought to me a new family of friends and colleagues that I will cherish forever. I am proud to be part of Maliha Wehbe’s family. Ma9 is-salaama(t), ashuwfkom bi-khayr.
Lina

Palestinian /Lebanese joined ALC team in 1993. Amira teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to the IGCSE and A’ levels. Amira also does a lot of our in-house and specialised courses such as Medical Arabic.

She writes:
Since I joined the ALC in 1993 I liked the atmosphere of the centre; friendly warm and welcoming. The classes were the most challenging periods in which I met a variety of people from different nationalities and backgrounds. Teaching Arabic as a foreign language became an important part of my life, and my students became friends. With every class I look forward to a new and exciting experience.

Lebanese / Palestinian joined ALC team in 1994. Aida teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to Intermediate Three, including the Conversational Courses. She trained the ALC to become a teacher of Arabic as a foreign language using the Maliha Wehbe Method. Aida is now the senior training on the Maliha Wehbe Method for new teachers who join the ALC.

Aida says:
I get great satisfaction from showing students the beauty of the Arabic Language, and feel very proud watching beginners to the language become conversant after only one course. It is great to see many students go from total beginners through to IGCSE and A level Arabic.

Palestinian / Jordanian joined the ALC team in 1998. She teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to intermediate three. Has a degree in Sociology. Angela had started her career as a teacher in the Montessori school in Jordan before moving to Dubai with her Husband. She continues to teach children at our sister school dar el ilm but finds her passion at the ALC teaching Arabic to Adults using the Maliha Wehbe method.

Palestinian / Lebanese joined the ALC team in October 2001. Camelia is apart time trainer at the ALC she only teaches Beginners One and Two.

Palestinian / Jordanian joined the ALC team in June 2004 teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to Intermediate Three. Wafa has a bachelor degree in English language and literature; she is currently working on her Masters in English/Arabic/ Translation and Interpretation. Wafa teaches all level from Beginners to IGCSE.

Syrian / Canadian joined the ALC team in 1997. Although Hanin has a degree in Business Administration with banking experience, she found her self through her training at the ALC; she found that she has a strong passion towards teaching Arabic to non-Arab speakers. Hanin teaches all levels from Beginners One all the way to intermediate three at the ALC, and she also does a lot of In house courses at the premises of different companies.

Palestinian / Jordanian, she has been working with the ALC as a part time teacher since 2002. Karamah trained at the ALC to teach Arabic as a foreign language just after her graduation from Parsons LA, Karamah has a BFA in surface designing. She has always had a passion to teach - Art and or Arabic. She enjoys teaching Arabic at the ALC she says “it is not work its fun”. Karamah loves teaching Beginners one course she makes it fun, entertaining and motivating.