But I have a concern. It’s emphasized in the articles that I’ve read that Mandarin immersion schools are targeted to non-Chinese speaking families–-families that speak English at home, whether heritage or not. It’s emphasized that the pros of learning Mandarin is for business prospects in the future, and also because it’s a language that a large demographic speaks.
I am concerned because those are the advantages of learning Mandarin for non-Chinese people. Chinese people, for example, among other things, would argue that learning Chinese is for cultural and linguistic preservation, for maintaining inter-generational relations.
So my question is, why aren’t Chinese families lobbying for bilingual schools? As taxpayers, do we have a right to preserve our culture? Can we lobby to build and to send our children to achinese school, instead of an english one? If we lobby for our schools for our reasons, what will happen?
This is interesting because the English (and the English-assimilated) in Canada (aka Canadians) have the right to their cultural schools. They have the institutional and the constitutional right to assimilate others. But more than that, they also have the right to explore and to expand to learn other cultures and languages. Are their tax dollars worth more than ours? It is great that English people have such expansive rights. It’s just that I would like to see these rights extended to more citizens in Canada. I would like to see a more equal Canada.
This is interesting because, the French in Canada have a right to their schools and to their cultural longevity. As a voting bloc in Quebec, the French are very strong, so the federal gov’t concedes to their demands. For a French immersion program to open (outside of Quebec), only 30 students of French heritage are required in one district. The French continue to fight for their cultural rights extensively, but not exclusively. They fight for everyone.
Burnaby Newsleader
"Dr. Annie B. Jamieson elementary and mandate that students entering this region’s only Mandarin bilingual program must already be fluent in English (both reading and writing) and not have Chinese literacy skills."
The Vancouver Courier, 22 Sept 2009
"Typically, one third of those enrolling in Mandarin immersion are non-Asian, one third come from homes where one parent is Asian and a final third come from homes where both parents' heritage is Asian, according to Duffy."
Langara Newsletter, 1999
"Since the immersion students generally come from homes where no one speaks Mandarin, any opportunity to practice is invaluable."
Vancouver Observer
“If you had a child that was fluent in Mandarin, they probably wouldn’t want to be in a Mandarin as a Second Language program, right?” Stenberg says. While the program would be inclusive, English-speaking kids like hers would be the ideal candidates."
mandarinforbcschools.org
"Says Duffy, Mandarin for BC Schools proposes to establish an early-start Mandarin immersion program that carters to 'non-Mandarin speaking children where the primary language spoken in the home is English.'"
mandarinforbcschools.org
The purpose of this Mandarin bilingual program is to give interested students from English-speaking backgrounds to gain language proficiency in an opportunity that they would not otherwise have.
...
The reality is that this program would most appeal to students from English-speaking backgrounds. Students from Mandarin-speaking backgrounds would most likely be seeking enrollment in English kindergarten/Grade 1 to increase their English fluency. This is proven by the fact that most French immersion students come from English speaking backgrounds.
In the future, if space and staffing permits, students with Chinese-speaking backgrounds could enter the program at various feeder points depending on their abilities (to be assessed by teachers).
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