Standard of Chinese teaching in Australian high schools is poor – Learning Chinese

The Times' April 4 article on Beijing's funding of a Los Angeles-area school district's Chinese language and culture program was disturbing -- not because of the program itself, but because of the knee-jerk xenophobia of its most vocal opponents.

Security was tightened Monday at schools in western China following demonstrations last week by students who marched to protest reported plans to impose Chinese as the main language of instruction.

China suppliers have intensified efforts to develop an IOT standard, which they hope will be the benchmark for a global regulation. Presently, the lack of a unified standard and high chip costs are preventing mass manufacture of IOT products.

Chinese families across the country are able to send their children to school tuition-free in the nine-year compulsory education period as of Monday. From this fall semester, about 28.21 million urban students in primary schools and in junior high schools joined rural students to benefit from the plan, according to the Ministry of Education. The students still must pay for textbooks and uniforms.

Thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a government-financed survey. But another contrary trend has educators and policy makers abuzz: a rush by schools in all parts of America to offer instruction in Chinese.

China has released the guidelines for teaching ethnic unity classes in schools, highlighting the significance Beijing places on national unity in a year marked by troubles, protests and other disturbances turmoil in its far flung minority regions.

An Australian Broadcasting Corporation report about the Australian government's frustrations over the arrest of Rio Tinto's Chinese-Australian executive Stern Hu.

A report by Tianjin TV station on attempts to introduce Australian Rules Football to university students in Tianjin. The report is spoken in Chinese, but contains some good footage of students kicking around a football on a dust bowl.

The high profile case of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu closed with the three-judge court sentencing the Australian citizen to 10 years in prison. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith termed the sentence harsh and pointed out that part of the trial was held behind closed doors, with no Australian official present, despite a Sino-Australian consular agreement that provides for such presence.