Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education plans to teach Chinese language Mandarin as an elective program at eight public secondary schools in the next academic year, local media reported.
The program will be taught at four schools in Riyadh, two in Jeddah, and two in the Eastern Province, including two girls’ schools, at the first stage.
Chinese was first introduced to Saudi schools during the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to Beijing in February 2019, as part of an agreement between the two countries to strengthen bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Several initiatives were launched with different organisations in the education and training sectors to introduce the language to the public.
One of the biggest initiatives was in collaboration with the Arab Open University and Nabegh Educational Center to teach more than 3,500 teachers and employees in the education sector in 12 cities around the country.
According to Al Arabiya TV, the ministry’s plan for the new curricula will include physical education and self-defense for all male and female students in all school levels, while the English language curriculum remains for the first grade of primary school, and the critical thinking curriculum is directed to the third intermediate and first secondary grades, with the skills subject limited. digital in fourth grade.
China is home to almost a fifth of the world’s population, and has been growing significantly in the past four decades at an average of nearly 10 per cent a year, transforming the country into a global leader in technology and manufacturing.
The inclusion of the Chinese language will enhance the cultural diversity of students in the Kingdom, and contribute to the achievement of the goals in education for Vision 2030.
