The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has decided to popularize bilingual education in its southern region and rural areas.

By 2020, the regional authorities hope, students of all ethnic groups would be effortlessly able to speak putonghua, whose pronunciation is based on the Beijing dialect and standardized Chinese characters created in 1955.

Language is a tool for communication and better opportunities. That explains why English is taught at Chinese schools and putonghua is being studied overseas.

There are many factors involved in the delivery of quality basic education, but language is clearly the key to communication and understanding in the classroom.

The authorities have encouraged putonghua in the belief that the policy would smoothen communication between people of different regions, especially among the ethnic groups.

The Chinese spoken by the Han majority, who constitute 92 percent of China's population, comprises seven major dialects. It can further be sub-divided into hundreds or even thousands of categories.

In October 2000, the Law on Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language was released. The legislation requires local governments and relevant departments to take active measures to popularize putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters.

The bilingual education policy is aimed at imparting in the ethnic groups strong competence in putonghua and their native languages so as to enable them to communicate with, and succeed, in mainstream society.

A good command of putonghua enables people from outside Beijing to access quality education and better careers.

China has also taken steps to protect ethnic languages, particularly those on the endangered list.