Thursday, July 06, 2006
Chinese Language Programs Expanding in Minnesota Schools
by from BeijingOver the last week, my brother-in-law has been visiting China with an education delegation from the state of Minnesota. Their mission here in China was to inquire about beginning Chinese language programs in Minnesota Public Schools. As a student of the Chinese language myself, this makes me excited for future Minnesota students, but I also have to admit it makes me jealous these same programs weren’t available to me.
Since I have been in China, the language has been coming slowly, but surely. I spent my high school and college years learning Spanish. While Spanish might be a more practical language to learn for the Midwest or U.S., I feel envious of the opportunity younger students may now have to learn Chinese—a language that may prove to be a valuable asset for them in the future.
The current language courses for most high schools and middle schools in the United States include Spanish, French, German and Latin. These languages are still important in today’s society; however, if you look at the percentage of people who actually speak these languages in the world, it is dropping dramatically. I feel there should be a sense of urgency in U.S. schools for other language offerings, and it is gratifying to see that Minnesota educators agree.
Right now, there are over a billion people in the world speaking Mandarin Chinese, followed by English with over half a billion, and Hindustani coming in a close third. However, if you count the number of people who speak English as a second language, it remains the most common universal language. While Spanish is having an ever-growing presence in the United States, I feel French and German are becoming less practical considering changes in world language and population.
With the Chinese economy growing, the Minnesota school system is taking a valuable step by planning future language programs that recognize new geopolitical and cultural realities. The initiation of a Chinese language program (and other languages) will give Minnesota students an advantage that will make them more valuable to companies in the world of tomorrow.
