What should/ can we do in the Chinese context?
Bilingual education should not be the imposition of the Han people’s ideology and beliefs. Instead, it should aim at taking a good balance between the two cultures. This means we need to make people in minority areas be proficient in Chinese because learning Chinese helps them to integrate into the mainstream culture and society. However, in the meantime, we also need to protect and maintain their language and culture, making them feel accepted and recognized. Some implications will be provided.
Since we have been aware that the academic attainment of minority teachers is relatively low, we need to improve their academic performance and provide enough training for them. Except for setting up special institutes in minority regions, some normal universities should also increase minority student enrollment numbers to cultivate more qualified minority teachers.
Mandarin teachers of Han nationality should also learn minority languages, their local culture, customs and habits to integrate into the local community, which can help them better understand students’ background and promote the development of bilingual education. Also, Han students should also learn about minority culture to deepen their cultural understanding and promote respect. Bilingual education should be bidirectional and based on equality.
Government should also provide training for people to compile instructional materials which are of high-quality, suitable for students and useful for local development. Culture and value of minority ethnic groups should also be taken into consideration.