National People's Congress expected to approve 'ethnic unity' legislation requiring Mandarin-first education in schools serving Tibetan, Uyghur and Mongolian communities.
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China's National People's Congress will vote Thursday on new legislation that mandates Mandarin Chinese as the default language in schools, superseding minority ethnic languages including Tibetan, Uyghur and Mongolian. The "ethnic unity" law is part of a broader package of legislation expected to pass during the annual parliamentary session.
The law represents a significant shift in China's approach to minority education and cultural preservation. For decades, regions with substantial ethnic minority populations maintained some degree of bilingual education, allowing local languages to coexist with Mandarin instruction in schools.
The NPC, often characterized as a rubber-stamp parliament, has never rejected legislation placed before it. Delegates spent the past week debating the proposed bills, which also include new environmental regulations and China's 15th five-year economic plan covering 2026-2030.
The legislation will likely accelerate cultural assimilation efforts in regions like Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, where minority languages serve as key markers of ethnic identity. Educational advocates warn the policy could effectively eliminate minority language instruction within a generation, fundamentally altering the linguistic landscape of these regions.