Chinese bilingual program roars but needs more space in schools
Re: Time for Albertans to learn Chinese; Language key to equal footing in future trade relations, by Gordon Houlden, Ideas, Oct. 29. A small number of forwardthinking Edmontonians have embraced the learning of Chinese over the past 30 years. Could they have foreseen the rise of the Asian Century?
Edmonton Public Schools recognized the importance of learning this language and established its Chinese (Mandarin) bilingual program in the early 1980s. Several years ago, this wellestablished program was viewed as the best Chinese language program outside of China by officials with the Chinese education ministry.
Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute, wrote in a recent article there is already Chinese language capacity in our schools but it falls short of being adequate.
We have about 200 kindergarten students entering the Chinese bilingual program each year. It is offered at five elementary schools during regular school hours.
The demand for this program, especially in rapidly growing southwest Edmonton, is thwarted by the lack of public school space.
While language is an important tool, so is understanding Chinese culture.
A large component of the Chinese bilingual program is participating in and sharing the Chinese culture, the most effective way to learn a language. Fine arts such as calligraphy and Chinese painting, physical sports such as dragon dance, lion dance, kung fu, table tennis and Chinese dance, cerebral activities such as Chinese chess and music instruction in traditional Chinese instruments engage students in their learning.
Our schools have ample resources and up-to-date technology to foster the learning of Chinese. What’s more, each Chinese bilingual school has a partnership with a school in China. Students in junior and senior high schools have opportunities to travel to China every couple of years. What better way is there to use the language skills they’ve learned?
In my view there is no other city in Canada with such a comprehensive Chinese bilingual program in which any student can start learning Mandarin from kindergarten and progress to the post-secondary level.
Our Chinese language teachers come from all over the Mandarin-speaking world. Students can take standardized tests to earn international credentials in Chinese language proficiency. Our graduates become Chinese language educators.
School jurisdictions in other provinces have tried to emulate Edmonton’s model, but it has never been duplicated. It is supported by a devoted parents’ group, the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association, which is working with Edmonton Public Schools to find yet another suitable location to offer the program.
To realize our future potential with Asia, and with China in particular, a committed, co-ordinated approach is essential.
Parents should invest in their children’s future, our future, by enrolling them in the Chinese bilingual program. Students should realize that acquiring fluency in Chinese is as good as currency in this Asian Century, and their value appreciates by acquiring more knowledge about China.
And public schools should find more space in high-demand areas of the city, so the Chinese bilingual program can expand and prosper.
The Alberta government encourages the learning of languages yet has not made it a requirement in public schools or in universities.
Alberta has a significant advantage over other provinces, but inaction will erode that edge. We must continue to build our capacity to learn Chinese language and culture, and that motivation begins with parents.