Accord signed to teach Chinese in Sindh schools

E-Paper | March 10, 2026

KARACHI: The Sindh education department on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese education department of Sichuan province of China for their cooperation in teaching the Chinese language in schools of Sindh.

The ceremony was held in the committee room of the Sindh Assembly and the MoU was signed by Sindh Education Secretary Dr Fazalullah Pechucho and Liu Dong, vice director general of the education department of China. Sindh Senior Minister for Education Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Consul General of China Ma Yaou and other officials also attended the ceremony.

According to the MoU, the teaching of Chinese would be made compulsory from class six onwards in all schools of Sindh within three years. Students learning the language will get extra marks, scholarships and foreign visit opportunities for education and skills training in China for those students who would pass Chinese as a subject till matriculation and higher classes.

Take a look: Sindh to teach Chinese language in schools from 2013

Education Minister Nisar Khuhro said that making the teaching of Chinese compulsory was aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture in Pakistan as “we have over the years maintained long-lasting culture and economic relations in China”.

He said the teaching of the Chinese language required special training of teachers, students, scholars, administration and other staff which would be done on an exchange basis while scholarships will be awarded for learning Chinese from educational institutions in China. Afterwards these people would act as master trainers to teach the language in Sindh’s schools.

The minister also said that in order to carry out and fulfil the goals of the MoU the additional secretary of the Sindh education department, Rehan Baloch, and the director of the education department of Sichuan would be the co-coordinators in the development and management of joint activities. Both parties may initiate proposals for activities and negotiate expenses issues under the MoU through the co-coordinators. If there are to be any amendments in the clauses of the MoU, they may be amended through the mutual agreement for both parties.

He said the education departments of Sindh and China would develop educational cooperation and exchange based on equality and mutual benefits and the activities carried out must be in accordance with the rules of the respective countries.

It was also said that a cultural centre of the Chinese language would be established in Karachi to monitor the project in the province.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2015

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ghanshyam

Mar 25, 2015 06:48am

English, Arabic and now Chinese : do you have your own mother tongue ?

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Muhammad Farooq

Mar 25, 2015 07:17am

Future belongs to China!!!

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Syed

Mar 25, 2015 07:18am

Lord help us. I am not against learning foreign languages. We have been learning English full time from Grade 1 for the last 150 years and have yet to produce a generation of people who can do anything worthwhile in that language like write world class poetry or fiction in it, and make a name for themselves or the country. In a province where we can't provide elementary school education for every child who needs it we are going to teach yet another foreign language. I must say I am not worried government of Sindh is bad at accomplishing things it needs to do, not very likely it will succeed at some thing that doesn't need doing at all.

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Muhammad iqbal

Mar 25, 2015 07:45am

Instead sending favorite teachers to China for learning their language, the chinese consulate in Karachi may be requested to arrange teaching classes in Karachi. This will save tax payer's money.

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kaali billee

Mar 25, 2015 08:09am

Sindh government is being crazy. They do a good thing first by introducing the Jinnah speech and then they do something totally uneccesary. Good thing I live in Punjab

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Thakur

Mar 25, 2015 08:11am

This is a little odd aggrement. Will China not provide these kids with jobs in China, just vocational training? The good thing is, China can hire these kids later as translators when China works in its projects in China. Talking about cultural exchange and deep relations, is China also making Urdu compulsory in its schools? Don't they want to learn Pakistani culture?

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Kittu

Mar 25, 2015 08:14am

What a lunatic idea! Chinese are learning English and Pakistan wants to teach Chinese, that too compulsory ? Make it optional at least! Students are burdened with ever increasing competition, learning developments in science, digital technology and what not. Make computer science compulsory. School timings are same, a day has 24 hrs still, so one cannot keep on increasing the curriculum,hat too another exotic language! God save the students.

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Black Sabbath

Mar 25, 2015 08:15am

Is this a joke?

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rizwan

Mar 25, 2015 08:15am

Sindhi,urdu,english,arabic and here comes Chinese as burden...jack of all trades but master at nothing

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Jawad

Mar 25, 2015 08:24am

There was a time when Pakistan's second language was Farsi(Persian). Due to pressure by Arab world Pakistan government removed Farsi from all schools and colleges and made arabic must. i want old pakistan back were we had freedom

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m singh

Mar 25, 2015 08:26am

very good....

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Mar 25, 2015 08:35am

Good move Instead of being slave of English, we should have little more rhetoric for other languages For many years people living in subcontinent knew and understood Farsi. It had given them alot of benefits in term of education and trade

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Kautiliya

Mar 25, 2015 08:39am

This on the face of it looks very colonial attitude. How about teaching Urdu or Sindhi in China.

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syed

Mar 25, 2015 08:48am

Joke ? correct ?

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S.B.

Mar 25, 2015 09:00am

it should be made mandatory in all schools. good work.

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Jawwad

Mar 25, 2015 09:02am

Baffled. Even the sychophants who praised this decision must have been laughing at the stupidity of our decision makers!!!

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Amir

Mar 25, 2015 09:08am

I wish they make Arabic mandatory instead of Chinese, which has no significance rest of the world, but only in China. If they learn Arabic they can understand Holy Quran and Islam properly.

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moin karachi

Mar 25, 2015 09:13am

Its a good step ...rather than learning English the language of the actual master should be learned properly...its a good step by nawaz Sharif and a perfect one towards development....

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anees from zaida

Mar 25, 2015 09:18am

Have our children learnt all of English and Urdu?

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Shafique

Mar 25, 2015 09:26am

Good move!

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rizviirum@yahoo.com

Mar 25, 2015 09:36am

This is completely rubbish. Why only in school of Sindh. Just for few marks and scholarships in China this deal shall not be acceptable. Our dumb Education Secretary and Minister should learn the Chienese first rather than putting an extra burden of fourth language - after Sindhi, English and Urdu. Mr. Secretary and Mr. Minister, please do not deceive the parents and try to utilize your intellegence and put forward any goood reason for the decision. Following this MoU then all secondary students should learn Japanese, Dutch, Welish, Russian and son on.

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Shuaib

Mar 25, 2015 09:47am

Why? Teach them Math and Science to make it in the real world, and not Chinese to become slaves of the orient.

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SHRIBHUSHAN

Mar 25, 2015 10:11am

Chinese language in Pakistan ?

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dr qaisar

Mar 25, 2015 10:15am

its an excellent thinking & step towards brotherly country like china, all weather friend of Pakistan.With the learning peoples contact will increase ,both the population of the country will be benefited, especially Pakistanis will be able to do jobs at china.

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Engr Ali Yad Khan

Mar 25, 2015 10:22am

Good that we at least be able to learn a very simple Chinees Language as it has been a real barrier in communicating to a Chinees Fellow, since almost 3.5 months we are in Beijing facing this difficulty.

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hussain684

Mar 25, 2015 10:30am

OMG. What a non sense. Chinese are our friends but this does not mean that we make fun of our education system that is already funny enough. Chinese themselves are learning English being recognized international language and we ...... Children are already studying English, Urdu, Sindhi and so on. So do we educate our future in languages or science and technology. Have a heart

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Rizwan

Mar 25, 2015 10:47am

Compulsory teaching of Chinese? How many languages are we expecting our children to know? It would be best if they just learn English very well instead!

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Taimur

Mar 25, 2015 10:56am

What a foolish step! Now pupils will learn a totally foreign and most difficult language in the world (Chinese) in a country rife with 70% illiteracy, corruption and chaos. Looks like, Pakistani decision makers have brains much like a crow who like to mimic pelican's walk. Kawwa chala huns ki chaal, apni bhi bhool gaya.

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Dr Sidiqui

Mar 25, 2015 11:12am

Students are already clueless about Urdu and English: how they will learn Chinese??? Modern teaching methods does not support this approach! Strengthen the foundations in the national language first!

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Imdad Ali

Mar 25, 2015 11:21am

Please do something against this stupid step about compulsory Chinese language in the schools. They have no reason except to mention that Pakistan has long cultural relationship with China. Don't we have more "cultural" relationship with Iran or India than China? I do really protest and feel pain for the kids who will be forced to learn a complete alien and most difficult language in the world. In my secondary years, I was forced to learn Arabic or Persian and I hated it. I always loved to learn Urdu and English. These two only are essentially needed in our country. "Kawwa chala huns ki chaal , apni bhi bhool gayya". Has Japanese, German and even China progressed by learning foreign languages other than their own?

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ZQ The Feature

Mar 25, 2015 11:36am

These kinds of projects make all of us laugh, scary thing is that they actually go through with them sometimes. We all know it's a ridiculous idea, yet it will actually receive attention because the government is broken. Our kids are speaking the weakest Urdu ever and English that is influenced by rotten music and garbage pop idols of today. Give them some more Shakespeare to read and CD's of 70's music if you want, but no Chinese lol. We can drop this idea and use the remaining funds to open a couple world class Chinese buffets in the city, they would serve far more useful!

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Akyl

Mar 25, 2015 11:48am

We use English in offices, Urdu in public gatherings, Mother tongue in home and Arabic in prayers. Now Chinese... whattay confused nation saaee :)

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Riaz

Mar 25, 2015 11:49am

We should have it in the entire country. China is going to lead the world in future.

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Imtiaz

Mar 25, 2015 12:05pm

Excellent decision. There are over 10,000 scholarships (all fee paid) for pak students per year for study in China. Because of poor Chinese language skills, these scholarships are not utilized. Further, China is the next superpower. Already it has the largest economy of the world while the English speaking west is sinking under austerity and 'wars against terror'. Finally our decision makers have made a far sighted policy for future challenges.

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Akhtarali

Mar 25, 2015 12:36pm

One of the best decision. By learning Chinese we will join over a billion people ,who are the future superpower of the world,the number one exporter of all engineering goods, computers,cell phones etc plus consumer goods. Our students will benefit in many ways. The spiritual head of the Ismails, The Aga Khan who was the head of the Muslim League in pre-partion India advocated the people to learn Arabic and make the National language Arabic. Just imagine where would the Pakistanis be.

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Hyder

Mar 25, 2015 01:13pm

Sir First priorty should be given to English language which is used world over!!!

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Dongimmeheadacheplz

Mar 25, 2015 01:50pm

Hey! New masters! Awesome!

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Zak

Mar 25, 2015 01:56pm

First step towards total economic , cultural and political integration with Chinese Mainland/Motherland.

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Zafar Iqbal

Mar 25, 2015 02:16pm

We should learn Sindhi language first then another foreign language.We dont know how to write and speak sindhi specially in urban sindh . How foolish act to teach a language which is highly complicated in the world.

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tayyab ahmed

Mar 25, 2015 02:20pm

We should Learning Chinese instead of English because china is the next superpower of the world and after all our neighbor also and what we did very big to learn English.

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Hina Imran

Mar 25, 2015 02:39pm

@ghanshyam : Its urdu and its a compulsory subject on all levels

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Hina Imran

Mar 25, 2015 02:45pm

In many developed countries children have to learn foreign languages. For example in Germany in high school and elementary school children have to learn 3 foreign languages plus German. And Chinese and Mandarien have a very good ROI in the labor market. http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/03/language-study

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Reader

Mar 25, 2015 05:02pm

Waste of money. Pathetic decision

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Rafique

Mar 25, 2015 06:03pm

It will be much better if only Arabic language is a compulsory subject in the schools.

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khanm

Mar 25, 2015 06:28pm

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.... If language is the criteria for progress. I think German ,Japan,France etc should be in the bottom.

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Ghaznavi

Mar 25, 2015 06:40pm

@Muhammad Farooq "Future belongs to China!!!" and there are more than enough Chinese to reap the fruits of their labor. Unlike the west and some other developed countries China does not have labor shortage. This is a very confused move. We should fit teach kids their own language, followed by Arabic and English at later stage.

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Sarwat

Mar 25, 2015 06:51pm

Learning a foreign is an asset! We can't even teach religious education properly, instead we end up producing terrorists. And now either Mandarin or Cantonese, WHY? Is China reciprocating this move? It is great that the friendship between Pakistan and China is rock solid, but taking a step back what are we doing here?

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Khalil Ahmed

Mar 25, 2015 07:49pm

What about Arabic? Did we sign any agreement and executed any project for learning arabic language in our schools in Last 67 years. If we recall our history, we got independence in 1947 to establish Quran and Sunna and sharia laws in this nation. We Promised, and proclaimed, "Pakistan Ka Mutlab Kiya, La Ilaha IllLallah" Without Bringing a true belief on La Ilaha IllLallah, How we can full fill our promise we made to our Lord. Learning arabic is key to our understanding Quran and Sunna? We should also think about how far we going from our deen al Islam due to the gap in the knowledge on Islam and one of the reason is our lack of knowledge in the arabic language.

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Ramesh

Mar 25, 2015 08:03pm

What kind of brains are ruling Sindh? The Chinese kids themselves are learning English...and by the time Sindhi kids catch up to impress China....China would've moved on. This is why someone who is street smart like Altaf Hussain needs to become CM of Sindh.

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Mansoor Ahmed Banglani

Mar 25, 2015 10:22pm

What about German, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Zulu, and some other languages?

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Mar 25, 2015 10:41pm

Very good decision.

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imran

Mar 26, 2015 01:08am

A stupid decision to make chinese language Mandatory. It is one of the most difficult languages and burdening students with that is next to torturing. What can be expected from the so called champions of democracy. Have they even asked for public opinions before making these dictatorial decision.

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Abdurrehman Khan

Mar 26, 2015 11:41am

@imran honestlty!!!!! Chinese have tons and tons of people to do their job! why in the world would they need Pakistanis to speak their language?

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