Mandarin at NAS Dubai

Children are assessed upon entry and are placed into ability groups depending on their level.

A range of educational methods and resources are employed to ensure that our students advance in their Mandarin education while deepening their understanding of Chinese culture.

NAS Dubai is the only international school in the UAE accredited as an HSK, YCT and BCT test centre since its opening in 2004. NAS Dubai provides the renowned Mandarin Language proficiency test to students as young as the age of seven. Since 2014 nearly 400 students have obtained this worldwide recognised qualification.

We offer the best Mandarin programme in the city because we employ the HSK and YCT as a placement test for students upon entry and as a final exam to measure their progress. The HSK refers to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, an internationally recognised assessment standard. This system applied to Mandarin pedagogy ensures transparency and accountability as well as providing a scale to measure student progress in Mandarin against international standards.

Advanced lessons are offered to students of Asian and Chinese background following the Yuwen (Chinese) programme. Our teachers support each student’s progress by providing opportunities to obtain early qualifications in ICGSE First and Second Language. Students with advanced knowledge in the language will pursue the IB Mandarin programme.

Our Mandarin department organises language exchange activities with Chinese schools in China and offers regularly a series of workshop to support home learning.

Every year in February NAS Dubai becomes the hub for Chinese culture promotion. The Chinese New Year event has become a popular tradition expected by the whole NAS community. It features several performances and events and our students have the opportunity to become ambassadors for such a rich and ancient culture.

千qiān里lǐ之zhī行xíng，始shǐ于yú足zú下xià。(A thousand miles journey starts with a single step)