Bai Bilingual Education Project is on track to achieve its goals

(July 2011) On 31 May at Jianchuan Shilong Village Primary School in Yunnan Province, China, a group of education experts from the Yunnan Ministry of Education convened to evaluate the Bai Bilingual Education Project. Elizabeth Lee, Program Director for the SIL East Asia Zero Barrier Bilingual Education Program, reported on the project’s progress.
After reviewing case files, conducting interviews, and taking part in a panel discussion, the experts concluded:

• Strong leadership was evident in the project. The implementation team and the local government attached great importance to the project, setting up an office manned by local staff to manage the program, which contributed to its success.

• The project team achieved its goals. An eight-week Bai adult literacy course was organized in Shilong village, training more than 250 people. Also, more than 30 Bai monthly newspapers were published. These positively impacted the promotion of the Bai language and the continued vitality of traditional Bai culture.

• The Bai-Han [Mandarin] bilingual teaching experiment aspect of the project played a catalytic role in improving the quality of education.

• Donors invested the sum of ¥1,474,600 ($227,000) to improve school conditions, resulting in major changes, especially in the campus environment.

• A total of 81 educational publications were developed (reading booklets, cultural information), contributing significantly to the Bai-Han [Mandarin] Bilingual Experiment.

• The experts specifically commended the project team for the love, selflessness, and dedication they have demonstrated in their work on the Bai Language Collaboration Project. The evaluators expressed:“Their spirit is admirable.”
The experts concluded that the project was feasible; project goals were attained within the set time-frame. The panel agreed to accept the experimental project.