Saudi Arabia to teach Chinese classes in schools

Fourth period of every Sunday and Monday shall be assigned for teaching Chinese in all secondary schools

BEIJING:

The education authorities in Saudi Arabia have reportedly instructed all public and private secondary schools to teach two Chinese language classes each week.

Experts said it will have “significant implications” in providing students with opportunities to learn Chinese and experience diverse culture. It also shows the two countries’ increasing communication and cooperation in the field of education.

The fourth period of every Sunday and Monday shall be assigned for teaching Chinese, the Saudi Gazette reported. This is “positive” news for Chinese language education developing in Saudi Arabia, as the schools have welcomed more than seven million students in the new semester, Chen Ming, a professor who teaches Chinese at King Saud University, told the Global Times.

More than seven million students across Saudi Arabia returned to schools and universities on August 20, the first day of the new academic year, according to media reports.

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The teaching plan has “significant implications” and is also another “major initiative” since Saudi Arabia agreed to include the Chinese language in the curriculum for Saudi schools and universities in 2019, Li Bowen, Chinese language teacher at the King Abdulaziz University and deputy director of the Chinese Proficiency Test Centre in Riyadh, told the Global Times.

In 2019, the two countries agreed to include the Chinese language in the curriculum at all stages of education in schools and universities in Saudi Arabia, a move to enhance the students’ cultural diversity.