RIYADH: Chinese language teaching has begun in the country's schools to equip young people with valuable language skills and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the Asian nation's culture.
The language is taught to primary and secondary school students.
According to reports, 175 educators are teaching Mandarin in Saudi Arabia under the educational agreement signed by the two countries last year.
“Arabic courses are widely available in Chinese universities, and many international secondary schools also have Arabic teachers.” (Shutterstock)
The ministry said young Saudi students will improve their chances of finding jobs or studying at prestigious Chinese universities.
Hanan Alharbi, a Saudi mother in Riyadh, said she was “very positive” about the ministry's decision because it was an “important step towards promoting global culture and giving students new and useful language skills, especially as teachers are Chinese”.
The decision is in line with China's growing importance in the global economy and the flourishing trade and economic relations between the two nations.
RAPIDActs
• According to reports, 175 educators are teaching Mandarin in Saudi Arabia under the educational agreement signed by the two countries last year.
• The Saudi Ministry of Education said it has selected several schools to pilot the foreign language program before gradually expanding the curriculum to include instruction up to the third secondary grade by the year 2029.
A Chinese mother from Tianjin, Taotao Wang, said: “We see this as a positive development. For us, it means sharing the cultural classics of Chinese civilization beyond our borders.
“For Saudi Arabia, it helps remove barriers to effective communication between our two nations. This cultural exchange is about finding beauty in our differences and growing together.”
Alice Xiong, a teacher from China's Guangdong province, told Arab News that she saw it as a “win-win” situation.
“Saudi Arabia is a country full of energy, with many young people. There are more and more Chinese doing business and traveling to Saudi Arabia… teaching Chinese in schools will make communication easy and direct for the youth of both countries.”
She said that Arabic is now being taught in China.
“Arabic courses are widely available in Chinese universities, and many international secondary schools also have Arabic teachers. I hope that the cultural and trade exchanges between the two countries will become better and better,” she said.
The ministry said it had selected several schools to pilot the foreign language program before gradually expanding the curriculum to include instruction up to the third secondary by 2029.
This phased approach will allow the ministry to assess the effectiveness of the program and make necessary adjustments.
The Kingdom's Minister of Education, Yousef Al-Benyan, recently highlighted the government's significant investment in the sector in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
