Chinese social media debates whether English still matters

Chinese social media platforms are debating whether schools should stop teaching English and use the time for subjects seen as more important nationally, ERR reported in a commentary by R2 technology commentator Kristjan Port.

English was added to the core school curriculum alongside Chinese and mathematics when China opened politically to the world around half a century ago. English exam results now carry significant weight in university admissions, while the language remains important for communication with the wider world.

But the spread of artificial intelligence translation tools has prompted questions about whether English should remain a compulsory subject. Supporters of the idea say resources spent on the costly and time-consuming teaching of English could be redirected to other subjects. The discussion has also raised questions about national identity and pride.

A Chinese mathematics teacher helped start the latest debate with a social media post calling for English to become an optional subject in schools. He also criticised children learning English expressions before mastering their native language. The post quickly sparked a wider discussion.

A former editor at a Communist Party newspaper, now a government official, described the debate as nationalist propaganda and misleading to the public. He said the Ministry of Education should ignore it. Port said it was possible that officials were deliberately allowing the discussion some room to develop, although their silence could also carry a message that people should criticise English as an arrogant global language.

The teacher’s post came shortly after a province in northeastern China removed history, biology and geography from primary school admission examinations, citing a desire to reduce the burden on students. Port said the episode could reflect a broader process in which technology is making it easier to replace skills and forcing officials to decide what is most important to teach.