Chinese lawmakers call for schools to spend less time teaching English to children
- The Education Ministry says it rejected the proposal made by members of the National People’s Congress but will do more to promote Chinese culture
- Some believe the calls are motivated by a desire to reduce Western influence, but others fear that students can only lose out as a result
A proposal by Chinese lawmakers to further reduce the amount of time spent studying English has triggered a wave of complaints that it risks harming students’ future prospects.
The suggestion was first made public last month when the Ministry of Education issued a response to suggestions made by members of the National People’s Congress in March about “increasing cultural confidence” and “reducing the proportion of English teaching”.
One suggestion, from an unnamed lawmaker, said: “Studying English is necessary, but it should take less time.”
Another said: “Reform English teaching methods and switch to grading-based teaching to emphasise oral communication and real-life applications.”
While the ministry has rejected those suggestions, it has also pledged to further promote traditional Chinese culture.
It added that English only takes up 8 per cent of the whole curriculum, which is less than one-third of the time spent studying Chinese languages.
