Saudi ministry directive for weekly Mandarin classes

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education has instructed all public and private secondary schools in the Kingdom to implement the Chinese language enrichment programme, local media reported.

According to the directive, every fourth period of Sunday and Monday in the current academic year will be allocated to facilitators to teach Mandarin Chinese.

The move apparently comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is making preparations to implement a Mandarin enrichment programme for second-grade students within the proficiency classes.

Introducing The Widely-spoken Language To The Public

It’s worth noting that the decision came during a high-profile visit of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to the Chinese capital of Beijing in 2019.

A string of different initiatives has been launched with different organisations in the education and training sectors to eventually introduce the widely-spoken language to the public.

The move comes against a backdrop of over 7 million students across the Kingdom returning to schools and universities on August 20, marking the beginning of the new academic year.

Saudi Academic Calendar And School Holidays

The first day marked the attendance of over 6 million male and female students from general education, on top of 1.36 million from higher education and technical and vocational training.
Scores of teachers, supervisors and administrative staff resumed their duties on August 13, ensuring all necessary preparations were in place for a smooth transition.

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Applying to general and university education, the academic calendar includes 3 semesters, 38 academic weeks, 180 school days, 60 days of various vacations and 68 days summer holiday.