News & Event

The Ministry of Education received an educational delegation from the Language Education and Cooperation Center of the Chinese Ministry of Education, headed by Ms. Hu Yu Ting, Deputy Director of the Center for Language Exchange, and Cooperation. This visit aimed to explore and strengthen cooperation between the two sides in the field of Chinese language education in Omani public schools.

As part of the visit program, the delegation met with HE Prof. Dr. Abdullah bin Khamis Al-Ambosaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, and a number of specialists at the Directorate-General for Curriculum Development, to discuss development opportunities and exchange experiences in this field.

HE the Undersecretary of Education affirmed that equipping students with diverse language skills has become essential in today's interconnected world, where individuals transcend their local boundaries to become global citizens. He added: "The Ministry of Education is committed to incorporating languages ​​of scientific and economic importance; German and French have already been included in its curriculum, and starting this academic year, Chinese language instruction has been implemented in several schools in the Muscat and Al Dakhiliyah governorates."

HE praised the quality of cooperation with Chinese educational institutions, including the exchange of visits for teachers, students, and officials, which contributes to supporting Chinese language education programs. He noted that recent field visits to the two schools implementing the program in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate revealed a high level of interest and clear enthusiasm among students to learn Chinese, and their aspiration to continue learning it even at the university level.

The visit program included observing the implementation of Chinese language instruction as a pilot program in four government schools in the Muscat and Al Dakhiliyah governorates. The delegation also conducted field visits to the targeted schools to learn about the school buildings, the educational system, and the methods used to teach Chinese within the Omani context. The delegation visited Juwayriyah bint Abi Sufyan School in Muscat Governorate, and Hayy Al Turath Basic Education School and Al Sha'tha bint Jabir School in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.

On the implementation of teaching the Chinese language, Salem Al-Kharousi, Director of Humanities Curriculum Development Department at the Directorate-General of Curriculum Development, said: “The Ministry of Education has begun implementing the teaching of the Chinese language as an optional subject for students in grades (11-12), starting from the academic year 2025/2026, in a number of schools in the governorates of Muscat and Al-Dakhiliyah, with the aim of giving students the opportunity to learn one of the most widespread languages ​​in the world and the broad prospects it offers in the labor market and scholarships.”

He added: “Introducing Chinese into the Omani school curriculum is a strategic step that will strengthen cultural, economic, and trade relations between Oman and the People’s Republic of China, especially as it is a language spoken by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. The program is being implemented in cooperation with Chinese educational institutions, and is taught by specialized native-speaking teachers, in addition to providing opportunities for scholarships, camps, and cultural programs.” Al-Kharousi noted that twelfth-grade students will take the HSK international exam, and passing level four of it opens doors to studying at Chinese universities.