Policies and Practices of Bilingual Education for the Minorities in China

Bilingual education for minorities in China has always been closely linked with political policies held by the government. Since 1980, bilingual education has been provided in some minority schools as a part of the government's policy to improve relationships with ethnic minorities in China. Chinese scholars have argued that bilingual education is necessary to advance learning among minority students. However, schools attempting to implement bilingual teaching are faced with many problems- notably with respect to curriculum, textbook publishing, teacher training and instructional adjustments. Even greater problems lie within society at large, where minorities still suffer discrimination and bias.