Four Models of Mongolian Nationality Schools in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region

Abstract

Mongolian is one of the more powerful ethnic minority languages in the PRC and, as elsewhere in the country, schools in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (IMAR) are expected to offer students a trilingual education, with standard Chinese and English being taught in addition to Mongolian. Drawing on research that covered schools across the IMAR, this chapter shows that there are considerable differences in the implementation of trilingual education. It identifies four distinctive models, ranging from those that place a strong emphasis on Mongolian to those that neglect it. The chapter discusses the various historical, demographic, sociolinguistic and other contextual factors that influence the choice of models. It concludes with a discussion of some implications of current trends in trilingualism in education in the IMAR for the future of the Mongolian language.