Call to reduce English lessons to ‘save’ Chinese
Wang Xuming, ex-spokesman for the Education Ministry, says foreign-language lessons are hurting children's grasp of native tongue
A former senior education official has triggered heated debate after he publicly denounced the teaching of English to young children and called for more classes on Chinese traditional culture.
Wang Xuming, a former spokesman of the Education Ministry and now president of Language and Culture Press, wrote on his verified Sina microblog account that China should abolish English classes in primary schools and commercial English schools for children. Instead, it should increase the number of classes on , or national study, which refers to the study of Chinese traditional culture.
Many Chinese cannot use the language properly. Chinese language and its characters are gradually being marginalised
"[We should] free the children and save the Chinese language," he wrote.
In 2002, the Ministry of Education ordered primary schools across the country to teach English classes, starting from the age of nine in the third grade, but it is now common for first-graders to have English classes.
Wang, who boasts more than 1.8 million followers of his microblog, said he proposed more lessons on because the quality of Chinese-language textbooks and examination results were so weak, while English-language teaching materials and performance results were strong.
He later published a lengthy online comment to elaborate on his opinions on "hitting the brakes on English learning by children across the country", saying Chinese language as the mother tongue had been facing numerous challenges.
"Many Chinese cannot use the language properly. Chinese language and its characters are gradually being marginalised … It's a practical measure to protect the Chinese language by cancelling or reducing English lessons and increase enthusiasm for studying the Chinese language," Wang wrote.
