Oman, China Discuss Expansion of Chinese Language Teaching in Public Schools

Oman Reviews Progress of Chinese Language Programme in Public Schools

Muscat: The Ministry of Education today received an educational delegation from the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) under the Chinese Ministry of Education.

The delegation, headed by Hu Zhiping, Deputy Director of CLEC, aims to discuss and strengthen areas of cooperation in teaching the Chinese language in public schools in the Sultanate of Oman.

As part of the visit programme, Dr. Abdullah Khamis Ambusaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, met with the delegation to explore opportunities for developing Chinese language teaching and exchanging expertise. He affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to introducing languages of scientific and economic importance within its curriculum, particularly in select schools in Muscat and A’Dakhiliyah Governorates.

He also praised the quality of cooperation with Chinese educational institutions, noting the mutual exchange of visits involving teachers, students and officials, which contributes to supporting Chinese language learning initiatives.

The programme included a review of the implementation of Chinese language teaching as an elective subject in four public schools in Muscat and A’Dakhiliyah. It also featured field visits to schools offering the subject, during which the delegation was briefed on school facilities, the education system and the teaching approaches adopted for Chinese in the Omani context.

Commenting on the programme, Salim bin Mohammed Al Kharousi, Director of the Department of Humanities Curriculum Development, said: “The Ministry of Education began offering Chinese as an elective subject for Grade 11 and 12 students starting in the 2025/2026 academic year in a number of schools in Muscat and A’Dakhiliyah. The aim is to provide students with the opportunity to learn one of the world’s most widely spoken languages and benefit from the broad prospects it offers in the job market and for scholarship opportunities.”