First Chinese national curriculum school to be established overseas set to open in Dubai

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

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

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.

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

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. We look forward to the new possibilities and connections this will bring to our education community.”

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.

Li Xuhang, Consul General, said: “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.”

Yin Liping, Founding Principal of Chinese School Dubai said: “Chinese School Dubai will inherit the glorious tradition and advanced education concept of Hangzhou No.2 High School, providing the children of overseas Chinese in Dubai with basic Chinese education of high-quality. The school adheres to the principle of ‘all for students’ and strives to cultivate future qualified citizens with Chinese hearts, international vision and humanistic accomplishments to realise the mission of building a world-famous overseas Chinese school in basic education.”

Located in Mirdif, 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.