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
