An Alternative Education Model in Ürümqi

• In Event: Another Way: Global Perspectives on Community-Based and Alternative Schooling Initiatives

Abstract

In China, the decentralization of all facets of the public sector since the 1980s has enabled communities to find new alternative spaces in which to articulate their voice in the public realm (Clothey and McKinlay, 2012; Mok, 2010). For example, while China’s national curriculum promotes Chinese language and cultural values, recent policy changes have enabled other actors such as ethnic minority populations to find alternative means through which to promote their mother tongue, as well as cultural values and traditions that are outside of the mainstream curriculum (Clothey and McKinlay, 2012; Lin, 2008).
One place in China where this trend is evident is in Urumqi, Xinjiang, a multi-ethnic city where private English language schools managed and run by local ethnic minority Uyghur educators and entrepreneurs have begun to emerge in recent years. Unlike in the public education sphere and at English training centers elsewhere in China where the medium of instruction is Chinese, the growth of training centers owned and operated by Uyghurs in Urumqi is unique because they offer English language courses through Uyghur language instruction. These Training Centers primarily hire Uyghur staff and teachers, and advertise in Uyghur language through brochures and websites in order to specifically target Uyghur clientele.
This paper examines the unique facets of these schools by exploring the following research questions: (1). What is the context in which these English Language Training Centers have emerged? (2). In what ways have Uyghur educators and entrepreneurs capitalized on the decentralization of education policy to support Uyghur cultural transmission? The paper triangulates qualitative data from the following sources: 1. Document analyses of relevant Chinese national and Xinjiang provincial government education policy documents, as well as promotional brochures and curriculum materials from Uyghur-run English Language Training Centers. 2. In-depth interviews conducted with Uyghur managers, owners of English training Centers, and teachers during the fall of 2013 and summer of 2015 in Urumqi. 3. Classroom observations at training centers during the fall of 2013 in Urumqi.
The findings show that these Training Centers facilitate transmission of Uyghur language and cultural values (Baker, 2011; Vaish, 2005), while at the same time supporting a Uyghur economic sector that is almost completely separate from that of the public sector run by the Chinese state. They are similarly on the fringes of the Chinese-dominated private sector (Harlan and Webber, 2012). In this way, they are implicitly counterhegemonic to the Chinese mainstream economy and public school system.
While the environment within which these English Training Centers emerged is somewhat specific to Urumqi, the policy context follows a worldwide trend of decentralization of public schooling (Astiz et al, 2002; Carnoy and Rhoten, 2002). This study thus contributes to an understanding of the motivations behind the alternatives to mainstream public schooling that can now be found in many cities with diverse populations.

Author

• Rebecca A. Clothey, Drexel University