Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education has introduced an exciting initiative for both public and private secondary schools in the Kingdom. The directive mandates the inclusion of Mandarin Chinese language classes, with a frequency of two classes per week. According to the ministry’s guidance, dedicated time slots during the fourth period of every Sunday and Monday will be allocated for facilitating Chinese language lessons. This significant addition will be seamlessly integrated into the academic timetable.
Across the education departments of the country, preparations are underway to implement this Chinese language enrichment program for second-year students in secondary schools. The program will be part of the proficiency classes during a semester in the current academic year, rotating among the students of the second grade of secondary schools.
Targeted schools have been identified under each educational department for the purpose of teaching Chinese. The Ministry of Education is committed to supporting facilitators in the process of imparting the language. This initiative aligns with the third phase of the tracks system, encompassing various aspects such as teaching Chinese, new courses, graduation projects, elective fields, proficiency class guidance, hybrid education, and volunteering.
The ministerial guide provided to educational departments underlines the allocation of at least one proficiency class per week throughout the semester to execute the Chinese language program. A designated facilitator will play a supportive role in guiding students towards self-learning. The program will be cyclically applied to new student sections each semester, accompanied by specialized enrichment materials and evaluation tools.
This progressive decision to incorporate Chinese language teaching in Saudi schools stems from a significant diplomatic visit. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Beijing led to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and China to integrate the Chinese language into curricula across all educational levels.
