China's top legislature is reviewing a draft amendment to the nation's education law to strengthen use of Putonghua, or mandarin Chinese, and Chinese characters, along with local languages in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.
The draft is scheduled to be deliberated at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which opened Monday.
According to the draft, Putonghua and standard simplified Chinese characters should be the basic language for educational activities in schools and other educational institutions.
But it also stressed bilingual teaching in autonomous areas of ethnic minorities. It said in schools and other educational institutions where students of ethnic minority groups are the majority, education should be carried out bilingually, namely using both Putonghua and Chinese characters, and the languages of the ethnic minority groups.
The draft adds that the government should provide conditions and support for these schools and other educational institutions to implement bilingual teaching.
The law amendment draft was first read in a bi-monthly session in August.
