HONG KONG. A prominent university in northwest China, Xi’an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province, has ignited a passionate debate about the role of English in China’s education system by discontinuing English tests as a graduation prerequisite. This move has sparked discussions on the prominence of the world’s lingua franca in China’s education landscape, against the backdrop of a surge in nationalist sentiment during President Xi Jinping’s tenure.
In an announcement made on Wednesday, the university declared that students would no longer be required to pass a nationwide standardized English test or any other English exams to obtain their bachelor’s degrees.
The decision triggered significant reactions on social media, with many commending the move and urging other universities to follow suit. One comment on microblogging site Weibo, which garnered more than 24,000 likes, stated, “Very good. I hope other universities will follow suit. It’s ridiculous that Chinese people’s academic degrees need to be validated by a foreign language (test).” A related hashtag on the platform amassed over 350 million views by Thursday.
For decades, passing the College English Test, a national standardized exam established in 1987, had been a prerequisite for graduation at most Chinese universities, even though it was never officially mandated by the government. This practice underscored the importance attached to English by Chinese universities, particularly during the period when the country was transitioning from isolation and poverty towards catching up with the developed world following the Mao Zedong era.
However, in recent years, some universities have diminished the significance of English in their curricula. They either introduced their own English proficiency exams or, as in the case of Xi’an Jiaotong University, abolished English qualifications altogether as a graduation requirement.
A nationalist influencer with 6 million online followers posted on Weibo, “English is important, but as China develops, English is no longer that important. It should be the turn for foreigners to learn Chinese.”
This move comes at a time when China is displaying more nationalist tendencies under President Xi’s leadership, emphasizing the need to strengthen “cultural confidence” and counteract “Western influence.” In educational settings, teachers have been prohibited from using Western textbooks and discussing “Western values” such as democracy, press freedom, and judicial independence.
In contrast, across the strait in Taiwan, the government has set a goal for the island to become bilingual by 2030.
China mandated English as a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools in 2001, coinciding with its entry into the World Trade Organization. At the time, the move was heralded as part of a national strategy to modernize Chinese education and prepare it to face the global future.
For some in China who lean towards more liberal viewpoints, the de-emphasis on English signifies a shift towards insularity and increased ideological control. One comment on Weibo stated, “We should have cultural confidence, but it’s not the same as being culturally arrogant, short-sighted, or closed-minded. We need English to understand the world. This is a fact and it cannot be covered up by the banner of nationalism.”
While some welcomed the removal of English tests at universities from a practical standpoint, arguing that graduates rarely use the language in their daily lives or careers and that artificial intelligence and machine translation can compensate when needed, others disagreed. They highlighted English’s significance as the language of leading academic journals, especially in science and technology.
“You don’t have to link it [to graduation], but don’t underplay the importance of English. These days, if you don’t understand English, you’ll still fall behind in the scientific and technological world,” argued a Weibo user.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Top Chinese university scraps English tests in move cheered by nationalists.”
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
