First Chinese School in Dubai

Our Correspondent

The first Chinese national curriculum school to offer full-time K-12 education outside China is set to open in Dubai this September, Wam reported.

The Chinese School Dubai, mainly focused on serving the Chinese community in the emirate, will create an additional 2,000 seats in the private education sector once it is fully operational. Apart from an enriched Chinese national curriculum, students will be offered Arabic as second language, Islamic studies, moral education and UAE studies based on the UAE national curriculum. In addition to Chinese students, the school will also accept foreign students.

Located in Dubai’s Mirdif area, the school will initially offer classes up to Grade 5 and operate on a non-profit basis. About 200 students have already enrolled in the school and a senior leadership team from China has put in place an orientation for 37 new teachers from both Hangzhou and Dubai.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), was given a tour of the school’s facilities along with Li Xuhang, Chinese Consul-General in Dubai; Liping Yin, Principal of the Chinese School Dubai; and other Chinese dignitaries.

Dr. Al Karam said, “China and the UAE have had a close long-standing friendship, and there’s no better symbol for that friendship than a school. The Chinese School Dubai will be the heart of the Chinese community in Dubai and foster a rich exchange of teaching and learning opportunities with other schools in Dubai. We are honoured that the first Chinese-curriculum school outside of China is opening in Dubai. “

The addition of the Chinese School Dubai brings the number of curricula offered by Dubai’s private school sector to 18. The school is the first overseas Chinese school to get financial support from the Chinese government. Its teachers are directly recruited by the Hangzhou Education Bureau.

Consul-General Li Xuhang stated: “The establishment of the first Chinese national school is a win-win project undertaken by China and the UAE, which aims to promote bilateral relations and cultural exchanges. Not only does it meet the increasing demand from the existing diversified communities in Dubai, but it will also attract talent from China and other regions to study, work and live in Dubai.”