The first Chinese-curriculum school to open outside China was inaugurated in Dubai on Tuesday.
Chinese School Dubai was opened in a physically distanced ceremony by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
The non-profit school, in Mirdif, will receive financial support from the Chinese government.
It can enrol up to 2,000 pupils and will follow the model of Hangzhou No 2 High School, an internationally renowned school in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province.
As well as following the national Chinese curriculum, pupils will study Arabic, Islamic studies and moral education. School officials and teachers were recruited directly by Hangzhou Education Bureau.
The school will focus on serving the 200,000 members of Dubai’s Chinese community but will also accept pupils of other nationalities living in the emirate.
Sheikh Mansoor unveiled a commemorative plaque at the inauguration event, after touring the premises and reviewing the curriculum.
The inauguration was held as the new academic year began. Schools across the country began allowing pupils back on campus from Sunday with safety measures in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
An agreement to open the school was announced in July.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the Board of Directors and director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai’s private-school regulator, said the school would provide a “window into Chinese culture and civilisation”.
“The beginning of the new school academic year has brought with it a new educational paradigm as well as a new phase in Sino-UAE relations,” he said.
“The inauguration of the Chinese School Dubai not only facilitates quality education for students but also serves the broader community.
“We are proud that Dubai has been chosen as the location for the first public Chinese school outside China.”
The addition of Chinese School Dubai brings the number of curriculums offered by Dubai’s private schools to 18.
UAE schools resume in-person classes
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Parents see off their children off to classes for the first time since March in August 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Naividh Pillai, aged 3, looks a little bewildered as he arrives for his first day at Gems Wellington Academy with sister Alaikha and parents Meera and Deepesh. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Thermal monitors at the entrance scan people for signs of fever or high temperature. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail opens for the start of the school year. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A pupil wearing a colourful face shield arrives at Horizon International School in Dubai on Sunday. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A mother helps her son sanitise his hands as he arrives at Horizon school. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Children arrive for school at Horizon International School in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Children arrive for school at Horizon International School in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A pupil gets her temperature checked at the entrance of Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National -
Pupils return to Al Mizhar American Academy in Dubai. Shruti Jain for The National -
A staff member assists a pupil as Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National -
Tarryn Patel, a homeroom teacher from South Africa, attends to her grade 1 pupil at Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National -
Pupils are spaced apart at the cafetaria at Al Mizhar American Academy. Shruti Jain for The National
