KARACHI:
The official language of China, Mandarin, could become a compulsory subject across schools in Sindh from the year 2013 if all goes to plan.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah made this announcement on Sunday after a meeting with the education department at CM House in Karachi. As an ‘experiment’, Cadet College Petaro will become the first institution to start, with its sixth grade students this year.
Its principal, Commander Afzal Malik, told The Express Tribune that the proposal is still fledgling and they need to work out a plan. “I can only say that I would like to start it as soon as possible as China is a big neighbour and big economy and offers us great potential,” he said, when asked how it would affect students.
Teaching Mandarin in Sindh was proposed during the president’s last visit to the People’s Republic of China. “The next generation is of the Chinese,” said an official who attended the meeting. People in China are learning Urdu and it would be only beneficial for the people of Pakistan to learn Chinese, which would help get them exposure in their growing economy.
So far, only an understanding exists at the government level but soon, help will be sought from education circles in China to go ahead with the plan in Pakistan. Aside from teachers, a syllabus will have to be prepared and it will need to be approved by the bureau of curriculum policy.
The chief minister announced that as an incentive, students who complete the study of Chinese till Matric and higher classes will be given scholarships for further study. They could be rewarded with marks, international educational scholarships, international tours and training.
The question arises, however, how Sindh’s high schools will be able to teach a foreign language when it struggles to maintain standards for Sindhi, Urdu and English.
The official who attended the meeting acknowledged these challenges and said that this was why they were thinking of only implementing it as a pilot project first in 2013.
The meeting was attended by senior provincial minister for education and literacy, Pir Mazharul Haq, Salman Farooqi, education secretary Mohammad Siddiq Memon, among others.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2011.
COMMENTS (38)
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More natural and logical step would have been to make the Sindhi language compulsory in Sindh first, and then any other language. This would have created harmony and attachment with the soil amongst the diverse population of the hospitable Sindh.
The same PPP government has rejected Sindhi as a national language of Sindh. Even they could not implement learning Sindhi as compulsory to work and get education in Sindh.
In todays practical world no language can supercede English. So English first and should be mandatory, then comes Urdu the mother tongue and National language of Pakistan. Urdu language is mandatory national language per the consitution of Pakistan and is the language of unity. Chinese may be a great idea and it can follow.
If we had made Arabic the national language, it would have resolved a lot of issues and divisions in the country. Plus, people would have been able to read the Qur'an in its native language and understand the religion in the true way the way it's intended. Urdu is a distraction in my humble opinion and can be restricted to an optional subject for Mohajirs, just like we can have Punjabi or Sindhi. This would have made the teaching of other languages like English and Mandarin also feasible as the burden on students would be reduced.
This is great news except that the Sindh government has no way of actually making it happen, which makes me suspect that Pir Mazhar and some others are cooking up some kind of get-rich scam. Chinese is a difficult language and for non-native speakers, any reasonable level of fluency requires more than 4 years of Full-Time study, not just treating it as one of many subjects. Since the Sindh government has not figured out how to adequately teach English, Urdu, or Sindhi to students in government schools, I have no clue as to how they plan to teach Chinese. I also don't see thousands of Chinese teachers flying in and happily moving to interior Sindh to work at the government's ghost schools. So, what's the plan, Pir Mazhar?
easily accessible foreign language centers would do the job
Order of priority should be: 1.Proficiency in English 2.Urdu 3.Chinese (optional) with scholarship. 4.Any other language (optional with scholarship)
Once upon a time, colonization was forced upon the subcontinent by Imperialist powers. Now, one of those former colonies is rolling out the red carpet and asking to be adopted. Take our land, run our port, we'll learn your language.
It is as if a freed inmate wants to return to his familiar prison cell after a day of wandering the streets. Unreal.
@Pundit: A "Pundit" advancing Arabic language? A sign of End Times indeed;)
Hare would be offended if this plan is called Harebrained.
In Russia, children are taught Russian first. In England, children are taught? You got it; English. In France? Take a guess! In Italy?...Right again, Italian!
And in multi linguistic countries? Well, in Indian Gujrat? Gujrati, right? In Maharashtra? Marhati, what else? Agree? So on and on....
But in Sindh..........drum roll..... Any other language.....BUT Sindhi. Genius!
What next, make Mandarin the state language and eat noodles with tofu and crispy duck for breakfast?
Teaching Mandarin is anti constitutional. I quote:
Article 31/2 (a) of Constitution of Pakistan states:
“The State shall endeavor, as respects the Muslims of Pakistan to make the teaching of the Holy Quran and Islamiat compulsory, to encourage and facilitate the learning of Arabic language.”
Not having completed the Arabic teaching universal mandarin cannot be introduced.
CJ is requested to take this up suo moto.
how many chinese are interested to learn our language? I have traveled multiple times to china and pitifully common chinese care less than negligible about pakistan. The only news they hear about us is violence. Further, in the govt circles, it seems that they consider us more like a favorable "at your service / yes sir" type of client state, which blindly follows all that they will command us to do. This is so shameful a move. As the author said "according to beijing's plan", and in future we will become a client subservient state of the chinese hegemony over Asia. Why are we silent when china kills thousands in Tibet, Xinjiang, mongolian borders, or illegally occupies areas around Taiwan, South China sea, Vietnam, Laos....???? I am ashamed at our servant attitude, as a taxpaying pakistani...
Here you go people dont know urdu or english now they talk ching chong good luck.
Change the history books first..!! Teach the students who had been friendly countries and who have been made friendly countries out of convenience.
Aitchison College has been pioneer in teaching Chinese to its students
a good start!
the whole education system needs to be overhauled!
@TightDhoti: No, its not ironic - I had to sit through stupid sindhi classes for 5-yrs and that was a total waste of time. I doubt knowledge of Sindhi 'ever' assisted me anywhere. Teaching of Sindhi should be sidelined, it absolutely does not serve any purpose!!!
benefit? i hope that after a few years the name of the province remains sindh, rather than "sindhjiang" govt. school students dont know urdu even...education budget is merely Rs25b...and LOL CM wants chinese! had hoti hai...im love china but..keep the friendship till co-operation, not culture exchanges!
CM...ap karachi ko sahi karne mein damagh lagaen..fazool batein chor dein...thank you
Errr...where are the teaches going to come from? Quite ironic that in Sindh teaching Sindhi is sidelined, but learning foreign languages is promoted?
" ... if all goes per (Beijing's) plan." Pakistan is becoming a Chinese satellite! Where is the ghairat brigade now? Maybe, they are busy taking Mandarin lessons.
China has started to build an english speaking population base to counter challenges from India. Today lots and lots of chinese are learning english. China wale english seekhne pe lag gaye hain aur hamari government ab hamen chinese seekhne pe laga rahi hai! What a pity!
@ Faraz I have been to China an many parts of China, i dont see your comment a rationale according to my experience. English is to China is like urdu is to Monkeys!
Changing times.
What a ridiculous decision. Chinese are learning English and we are going to teach Mandarin.
And I want to build my house with a second floor, but, without ground or first floors or even the foundation.
there's a difference between frienship and sycophancy.
The Chinese are taking over, yo!!!
"Personally, I have a great admiration for stupidity." Oscar Fingal Wilde
A good decision but it should not be compulsory - should be available as an option in all schools. This is definitely China's century and we are blessed to have them as good trusted friends. There should be no language barrier between Pak and China.
How many students have been taught English as a language so far?? What has been the success rate especially in Govt.Schools? And now Chinese??? Wow !!! Very ambitious plans. Wishing you all success Sindh Govt.!!!!
The Thing is that though it is a nice step but just look at the burden on students! They have to take Urdu, English, Sindhi and Arabic too as compulsory subject and now you are burdening them with Chinese too!!!
I think, we first need to preserve our own local languages before introducing foreign language in Pakistan. Has Sindh done enough to preserve Sheedi language or Thar accent of Rajasthani or Kathiyawari or Maimoni or Sindhi Gujrati or Bohri? No so what about Chinese???!!!
This is the right decision. We should have done that a long time ago. It should now be implemented across Pakistan. We must also teach Persian and Arabic as we did before. Because Urdu without these languages makes half sense. It will enrich our heritage and a new breed of writers and poets will born with as big or more command of the Urdu language as our ancestors. Good decision Mr. Qaim Ali Shah. Shehbaz Sharif must do the same now and others too.