British Columbia has one of the largest Chinese-speaking populations in Canada. But Mandarin immersion programs are thin on the ground there, with one up and running and two starting next year. They’re all oversubscribed. This is from the national paper, The Globe and Mail
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Provision of Mandarin classes is up to local boards, B.C. Education Minister says
Mandarin courses would be a good fit for British Columbia schools, but introducing such programs is up to local boards, provincial Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid said on Tuesday.
“I certainly think that second languages are valuable and providing access to Mandarin immersion really makes sense when you consider our province and the close ties we have with Asia,” Ms. MacDiarmid said. “We’re certainly supportive of these languages being provided. But currently these decisions are made at a local level – this is something that boards have the authority to do.”
Ms. MacDiarmid spoke to reporters on a conference call to discuss the coming school year.
The Vancouver School Board is planning a Mandarin program for the fall of 2011, and two other districts, Coquitlam and Burnaby, are readying or have launched Mandarin programs.
Coquitlam will introduce a Mandarin bilingual program this fall that will be offered through two full-day kindergarten classes and two Grade 1 classes that will enroll 83 students.
Demand for the program – which was introduced after parents lobbied for the option – far outstripped available spaces, so the district assigned spaces through a lottery, said Coquitlam district spokeswoman Cheryl Quinton.
School districts would have to weigh demand for new language or other programs against available budgets.
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