China has approved a sweeping new law which claims to help promote “ethnic unity” - but critics say it will further erode the rights of minority groups.

On paper, it aims to promote integration among the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups, dominated by the Han Chinese, through education and housing. But critics say it cuts people off from their language and culture.

It mandates that all children should be taught Mandarin before kindergarten and up until the end of high school. Previously students could study most of the curriculum in their native language such as Tibetan, Uyghur or Mongolian.

  • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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    14 hours ago

    Yes, teaching english is what’s wrong with what was/is being done to indigenous communities. Absolutely nothing else.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Yeah …notice I said “learning”, not “being taught”. Maybe the rest of it that I left implied is what happens when you force people to learn your language? Didn’t think I’d have to spell out what the schools did to those poor children to make them learn English for you to understand an implied point, but here we are.

      How do you think they’re going to make these people learn Mandarin? Do you think they’re going to ask nicely? Or are they going to do the same thing every dominant colonial culture tries to do to its minorites?

      • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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        11 hours ago

        Didn’t think I’d have to spell out what the schools did to those poor children

        That is precisely why I referred to it that way, so you’d have to spell it out the dumb implication you’re making.

        How do you think they’re going to make these people learn Mandarin?

        Same way they teach math and science lmao.