Mandarin Programme

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Abdulrahman Kanoo School Diyar (ARKS) is the first and only school in Bahrain to have Mandarin as a third language included within the curriculum. The Mandarin programme was made possible due to the leadership’s foresight and understanding the relationship the Kingdom has with China. China’s friendly cooperative relations with the Kingdom is based on shared or mutual complementary commercial interests and Bahrain’s strategic geographical position, and from a policy standpoint, strong Bahrain-China links, inclusive of the China-Bahrain Relations in the Age of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). These were all factors considered when the leadership introduced the idea of implementing the Mandarin programme and at the forefront to better support Bahrani students in the quest for more life-changing opportunities.

This programme commenced in the school’s first academic year (2022/23) and set about to introduce Chinese Mandarin language and Chinese culture through games, interactive activities and through engaging students in Chinese cultural events to understand more about China. The programme is currently designed for students from Reception to Yr. 9 and includes basic topics with daily used words with the introduction to Mandarin phonetics (Pinyin system). Topics include self-introduction, age, numbers, animals, colours, family members, classroom objects, etc. The school itself has invested in the support of talented native speakers to drive the programme.

“At first, I was nervous and unsure about the exam, but I worked very hard, and my parents and teachers supported me all the way. In the end, I passed, and I’m very proud of myself. With a little courage and confidence, you can do anything. Just do it! If you ever get the chance to learn Mandarin, take it!.”

Rashed Alnoami, Year 10 Student 2025

“ARKS gives us so many opportunities. Learning Mandarin is one of them, and I know we can do a lot with it in the future. I’m very grateful for this chance. I want to keep learning Mandarin and reach the next level, so I might even earn a scholarship in China.”

Rashid Alsnan, Year 10 Student

“I’m glad to be learning a new language. Mandarin can become not only a hobby, but even a career in the future.”

Yousif Alarrayed, Year 8 Student

The goal of the program aims for students to:

Raise interest in a new language.
Understand and respond to the basic level of spoken and written language.
speak with increasing confidence, and continually improve their pronunciation.
gradually develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills for Youth Chinese Test (YCT) in perspective

It is the starting point to prepare students to dive into the Mandarin language, and it will grow with them until their graduation from school. ARKS aims to prepare students for future demands, and this programme helps in achieving this goal.

** Mandarin Chinese opens a world of opportunities – it can connect speakers with an exciting and dynamic culture as well as boost career opportunities in perspective. Mandarin has been identified as one of the fastest growing languages in the world in terms of global business leadership. ARKS Diyar looked at the relationship China has with the Kingdom and the opportunities given at an academic level to students who both study and can communicate in Mandarin **

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