English language programs being cut in Inner Mongolia?

I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that English language programs for school students are being removed or seriously cut down in some places in Inner Mongolia.  The apparent reasoning for this is that the Chinese government doesn’t want kids there to have the opportunity to learn the language.  I can’t find any information to back this up at this point, but the whole concept of removing opportunities from students is just abhorrent to me.  I can understand if there are simply no resources to provide education in certain areas, but to actively remove important programs just seems unnecessary and unjust.

The quality and availability of English language teachers in places like Inner Mongolia is low enough as it is, with many English teachers being local people who can barely communicate in the language themselves.  This is the case in many populous lower-socioeconomic areas, as there is little funding to support native speaking teachers.  Even for locals who are good teachers, other opportunities in richer places are common.  There’s an interesting article about this on the Amity newsletter, and they also outline what they are doing to help the situation.

What would you think if your child was going to a school where an important subject’s program was either very poor or completely non-existent?