Shanghai pilot programme encouraging local dialect in kindergartens under fire
Classes will still be instructed in Putonghua, as required by Beijing
Children in 20 kindergartens in Shanghai will be encouraged to speak Shanghainese instead of Putonghua as part of a pilot programme the city’s education bureau launched this month, Chinese media reported.
While the experiment will see children speaking Shanghainese during “game sessions” between classes, the classes will still be instructed in Putonghua as required by Beijing. It’s not clear if and when more kindergartens or schools will be joining the programme.
While most local parents applauded this new move, which they believe will help preserve the local culture and dialect, many of the city’s immigrants fear that their children will feel alienated and even discriminated against. This seems to have added fuel to the tense relations between Shanghai “hukou” holders -- locals with residency registration and enjoying full benefits offered by the city -- and immigrants who often claim to have been treated as “second-class citizens”.
“Preserving Shanghai dialect should be encouraged,” said Li Ziran, a local Shanghainese mother with an infant son. “With the large number of immigrants pouring into Shanghai, fewer and fewer people can speak Shanghainese now.”
Li said the new policy might also help immigrant children pick up Shanghainese. “Kids really learn fast,” she added.
“We grew up speaking Shanghainese and it’s a dialect that means a lot to our generation,” said Shao Yu, another local Shanghainese mother.