CHINESE SCHOOL DUBAI SERVES AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN CULTURES

First overseas institution teaching national basic curriculum benefits students from different backgrounds

When 6-year-old Peng Gelin walked into the Chinese School Dubai for an admission interview, he could barely introduce himself in Mandarin or English. The Iran-born boy who only spoke Persian was visibly nervous.

His Chinese father and Iranian mother had relocated to the United Arab Emirates from Iran to restart their lives, and hoped to give their son an education rooted in China's rigorous, yet productive, school system.

The first interview did not go well. "He was too shy to speak," said school principal Zheng Li.