Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

I have no doubt this decision is more about politics than anything else, which is far beyond the scope of this blog. But it’s interesting that some of the arguments being made for and against English in China are the same ones we see being made about immersion education here in the United States:

Yu suggested that some companies and most universities in China may require English proficiency because of the positive qualities associated with having a “second language experience”, such as strong memory.

Yu, who was educated in Chengdu, as well as New Orleans and Cambridge, said the concept that learning a second language would interfere with the learner’s native language skills is misguided.

Leading Chinese university becomes first to remove English requirements for students

22 SEP 2023

HONG KONG – A leading university in China has removed an English language test from its degree requirements amid a growing debate about the subject’s practical benefits for many people.

Xi’an Jiaotong University, a public research university in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, has confirmed that it no longer requires students to complete the College English Test, or CET, to enter…

The CET is an annual exam for undergraduate and postgraduate students, who usually must pass two levels – Band 4 to be given a place at a university and Band 6 to graduate.

According to the university’s academic affairs office, the change was “a normal measure made by the school according to current developments”. It added that college-level English courses based on the CET.

Please read more here.