The idea of establishing the Khartoum International Institute for the Arabic Language dates back to the early 1950s, when the Sudanese Ministry of Education recognized the importance of teaching the Arabic language according to modern scientific and methodological foundations, in response to the growing need among some speakers of local dialects to learn Arabic, and the resulting necessity of preparing a generation of specialists in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, along with conducting field research and studies related to this domain.
In 1972, the Government of Sudan submitted a memorandum to the Conference of Arab Ministers of Education, in which it proposed the integration of Arab efforts to establish this institute, based on the importance of the project in spreading the Arabic language and enhancing its presence at the regional and international levels, particularly in the African and Asian countries connected with the Arab world and Islamic culture. The proposal received the approval of the Conference, which recommended that the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) adopt the project of establishing the institute.
Recognizing the importance of the project and its role in serving the Arabic language, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization gave the project special priority, and in 1973 formed a joint committee comprising experts from the Organization and the Sudanese Ministry of Education, which undertook the preparation of the detailed conception of the project and the elements of its establishment. In 1974, the Organization's General Conference, at its nineteenth session, decided to establish the Khartoum International Center for Teaching the Arabic Language.
In the same year, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization concluded an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Sudan, as the host state, marking the launch of the Center's activity, as studies began on 15 October 1974 with the aim of preparing and qualifying specialists in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. In 1977, the Center's name was amended to become the Khartoum International Institute for the Arabic Language, a name that reflects its mission of serving the Arabic language, qualifying specialists in teaching it, and developing scientific research and studies related to it.
The most prominent objectives of the Institute are:
