Chinese parents who want their kids to have an international education experience have become hesitant to send them to Richmond, because the city has too many people from China.
That’s according to Maria Wang, director of a Richmond-based education agency, which specializes in introducing North American schools to parents and students in China.
“Some Chinese parents are worried that their children won’t have enough opportunities to improve their English if groups of Chinese-speaking students surround their kids,” said Wang.
Wang has always argued that’s not the case, but she’s even more convinced after having recently gone on a familiarization tour conducted by the Richmond School District’s international education program.
This is the first time the district has hosted a tour for representatives from various local education agencies such as Wang’s. The participants came from different cultural backgrounds, and toured McMath secondary and Cambie secondary.
Since attending the school tour, Wang said she feels more confident encouraging students from China to pursue their studies here.
Wang added that as she walked into McMath secondary, she was immediately confronted by 54 national flags hanging from the ceiling of the school’s hallway. She was told that these flags represent and symbolize different countries students come from.
“Considering Richmond is one of the most diverse cities in Canada, students can promote not only their English skills but also develop a better understanding of different cultures,” said Wang.
Wang added that the prevalence of Chinese can also help students acclimatize.
“Young students always feel helpless when they move into a new place where they don’t speak the same language, or the culture is different. But they will feel less lonely or depressed if they can hang out with people who speak the same language.”
