XINJIANG: Bilingual education

World Today

From the series XINJIANG: Exploring China’s new frontier

In China’s far western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, ethnic minorities, mainly Uyghurs, make up some 60% of the population. In China overall, it’s less than 10%. There is a renewed focus on breaking down ethnic barriers and promoting a shared national identity and economic benefits. Mandarin-instruction for all is seen as key. Since 2011, the central government has been promoting bilingual education. As a part of our series Xinjiang: Exploring China’s New Frontier, reporter Han Bin follows a Uyghur education expert and businesswoman, to see how this policy is being practiced in the remote areas.

MATH BOOK

Mathematics is a particularly difficult subject for bilingual education.