Recently, the School of Foreign Studies (SFS) at Nankai University held an online consultation meeting with the External and International Relations Office (EIR)and the Arabic Language Center of the University of Dubai. The two sides had in-depth discussions on issues including talent cultivation for Arabic-language majors, faculty exchanges, and the promotion of broader and closer institutional cooperation between Nankai University and the University of Dubai.
The meeting was co-chaired by Prof. Yan Guodong, Dean of SFS at Nankai University, and Dr. Jerad, Director of EIRat the University of Dubai. Participants included Prof. Wang Kai, Associate Dean of SFS; Dou Tianjiao, Head of the Arabic Language Department; Arabic-language faculty members Su Chuting, Huang Haofei and Yousef; as well as Layla, Director of the Arabic Language Center at the University of Dubai.
Dean Yan expressed appreciation for the University of Dubai’s commitment to developing exchanges and cooperation with Nankai University. He briefed the UAE partners on China’s growing demand for Arabic-language professionals under the context of reform and opening-up and the Belt and Road Initiative, and highlighted SFS’s achievements and strengths in Arabic-language talent training. The University of Dubai sharedexperience of the Arabic Language Center in curriculum development for Arabic language and culture, intercultural adaptation services for international students, and local teacher training.
Following candid, amicable and substantive exchanges, the two sides reached a consensus on establishing a student exchange mechanism. The University of Dubai will provide Nankai students with intensive immersion programs in Arabic, coupled with experiential learning in gulf societies and cultures. A faculty exchange mechanism will also be launched, with the University of Dubai offering support to Nankai University in recommending foreign teachers and training Chinese instructors. In addition, leveraging Chinese and Arabic academic resources, the two sides will collaborate on research related to the history, society, politics, language and culture of the Middle East.
The University of Dubai, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the UAE, is recognized as a benchmark in the country’s higher education sector for its discipline layout in business, engineering, information technology and law. Offering English-medium instruction, it attracts students from around the world. Its market-oriented curriculum design and consistently strong graduate employment outcomes have earned it a distinguished reputation.
