[Brenda]

In BC or in the lower mainland?
Here, it is Italian and German.

[sandorski]

Donny_Brasco Donny_Brasco:

KorbenDeck KorbenDeck:

martin14 martin14:

If you have ever been to Richmond, you would realize how wrong you are.

I know I am wrong I go to Richmond a lot. It seems to me that spending money to create a new immersion program so that immigrants do not have to learn English in order to communicate is a bad idea. The solution is not to have children learn a foreign language its to have the people who speak a foreign language in Canada learn English (or French depending on where you are).

Am I the only one who read this article?

$1:

The proposal notes that a Mandarin program would be ineligible for government funding, so a "not-for-profit parent group" would fundraise to support the program.

Possibly. I didn't read it.

[commanderkai]

Donny_Brasco Donny_Brasco:

Here is an idea, how anout readin the article before you get your white sheets in a knot.

I really don't understand why not so subtle references about members being a part of the KKK are allowed on this site, especially after the "redneck" topic a few days ago. Oh well.

$1:

The proposal notes that a Mandarin program would be ineligible for government funding, so a "not-for-profit parent group" would fundraise to support the program.

[/quote]

They should just see if they can make a private school then. Bringing this idea to the school board will make it get some public funding, even if the proposal says otherwise. Even if that funding becomes space within the schools, taxpayers will be paying for the classroom, and probably a good deal more infrastructure.

[NuMbA]

Mandarin is not an official language of Canada so there is no need to teach. they should learn english and french and if they want to learn mandarin they could take clases.

[saturn_656]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Donny_Brasco Donny_Brasco:

Here is an idea, how anout readin the article before you get your white sheets in a knot.

I really don't understand why not so subtle references about members being a part of the KKK are allowed on this site, especially after the "redneck" topic a few days ago. Oh well.

It's Donny, don't let it bother you.

[EyeBrock]

Scape Scape:

They need Punjabi as well. In BC, Mandarin, Cantonese and Punjabi is spoken far more then French or German.

This is very silly. Learn English or French or go to another country if you want to learn another language for free.

[Freakinoldguy]

Okay, let me get this straight. A (and i'm just taking a shot in the dark here) chinese speaking families wants to get government funding for a Mandarin immersion school, to teach a language likely spoken at home.

This begs the question why????

Although, if it is an actual immersion school and not just a private school with public funds, that would mean it would be open to all the students in the Richmond catchment area.

I wonder how that'd work out when they couldn't keep it exclusively to their own commumity.

Maybe it's time the rest of Canada took a book from Quebec and passed our own Language Laws.

[Scape]

Nope. Read again, and this has already been posted:

$1:

The proposal notes that a Mandarin program would be ineligible for government funding, so a "not-for-profit parent group" would fundraise to support the program.

[commanderkai]

Scape Scape:

Nope. Read again, and this has already been posted:

$1:

The proposal notes that a Mandarin program would be ineligible for government funding, so a "not-for-profit parent group" would fundraise to support the program.

If they want to make a private school for Mandarin students...SURE! Go ahead! As long as they meet Canadian standards, I couldn't care less. But this issue will use taxpayer infrastructure, be it desks, class space, etc etc etc. I honestly don't believe this will be totally cut off from government help

[saturn_656]

commanderkai commanderkai:

If they want to make a private school for Mandarin students...SURE! Go ahead! As long as they meet Canadian standards, I couldn't care less. But this issue will use taxpayer infrastructure, be it desks, class space, etc etc etc. I honestly don't believe this will be totally cut off from government help

Bingo.

[Scape]

I suppose if the roads they traveled on were government funded you would want that dredged up as well? There needs to be some support for immigration, and private initiatives should be encouraged if only to emulate private local conditions. If there is a large Cantonese contingent in a community language goes both ways and having people who can converse with them is a boon for society as a whole for integration.

Welcome BC

Have a look at the Settlement agencies They have people speaking languages other than English there!

[ShepherdsDog]

My kids have both learned to speak Mandarin. My eldest is still studying it back in Canada(via distance education), along with French, but even he knows which is the more important of the two languages.

[Canadian_Mind]

My take regarding languages:

I began learning french too late for me to be interested in it, as far as I was concerned it was another stupid class I was forced to take for 4 years (grades 4-6 in Alberta and grade8 in BC). If it was one of the prerequisit courses right from the get-go in grade 1, not only would I have had a working knowledge of it by grade 3, but I probably would have learned it at a young enough age to consider it a second mother tongue and use it fluently.

By grade 6 other options could have been added. The languages I wanted going through highschool were German and Russian. I now regret not continuing to taking french now that I live next to the province and appreciate the beauties in it, but I can atleast get the military to pay for it.

Introducing kids to a variety of languages early on would give them the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to learn it. If they do, then awesome, let them take the basic courses for free in school so that they have a working knowledge of it by the time they choose to go somewhere to apply it (travelling to Germany, Russia, China, etc.)

But the rational behind teaching kids a language so they can use it amongst eachother in day-day life on the streets is off. I have no problem with people using their own languages to talk to eachother, but it should never displace the two official languages when it comes to commerce. If I walk into a store or resteraunt and can't buy anything cause it's all chinese to me (litterally), and the cashier or anyone else working there isn't fluent enough in English (or French in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Eastern Ontario) to help me out, the place should be shut down outright.

[Donny_Brasco]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

My kids have both learned to speak Mandarin. My eldest is still studying it back in Canada(via distance education), along with French, but even he knows which is the more important of the two languages.

Exactly.

And smart parents of any background will see the benefit of allowing their children to learn to speak Mandarin.

Makes sense to me that if most of the people you are dealing with speak a language, it is an asset to understand that language.

And wouldn't it be great to know that those people aren't actually talking about you when they speak Mandarin instead of "Canadian"? They have far, far more important things to discuss...

I think the policy not to fund this type of immersion is flawed. I would welcome the opportunity to give my children this type of advantage.

[Donny_Brasco]

Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:

If I walk into a store or resteraunt and can't buy anything cause it's all chinese to me (litterally), and the cashier or anyone else working there isn't fluent enough in English (or French in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Eastern Ontario) to help me out, the place should be shut down outright.

I don't think you do your argument any dignity when you can't be bothered to spell "restaurant" and "literally" properly.

Like fuck, you want people to speak French or English so you can be happy yet you butcher it yourself.