Saudi education authorities will introduce the Chinese language in middle schools as part of an expansion program.
Chinese will be taught for three classes per week in these schools during the three terms of the new academic year, which is set to start next week in the Kingdom. The teaching program will follow a similar structure to the activity and proficiency classes trialed at the secondary level last year.
Previous Introduction at the Secondary Level
Last year, second-grade students in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia started studying the Chinese language under an enriching linguistic program. This initiative comprised educational shows and interactive lessons aimed at enhancing the students’ ability to learn Chinese, with encouragement of self-learning.
Arrival of Chinese Language Teachers
Furthermore, 175 teachers from China will begin teaching in Saudi Arabia in mid-August, the first batch to serve in the Kingdom, China Daily reported. The program is part of an agreement which both countries made in 2023 to enhance cooperation in Chinese language education.
The teachers completed pre-service training at Tianjin Normal University, which ran from July 29 to last Friday.
Boosting Bilateral Ties.
In 2020, Saudi education authorities started teaching Chinese in eight high schools. Saudi Arabia plans to expand the teaching of Chinese after China’s President Xi Jinping visited the Kingdom in 2022.
Xi stated in Riyadh that China would offer thousands of opportunities to teach the Mandarin language in Gulf countries. Subsequently, in January 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council approved a draft accord with Beijing to teach Chinese in the Kingdom.
