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[quote=Anonymous][b]Should the preferential treatment be given to Chinese ethnics, or should the preference be given to children who already speak mandarin. The Chinese ethnic population in this city do not overwhelmingly speak Mandarin they speak Cantonese. And, if the Cantonese families are speaking Cantonese and not Mandarin how is that a two-way immersion process. [/b]

Ask Chinese who speak both Mandarin and at least one another dialect for answers--there are more than a billion--to look for answers.  Consider academic studies on the subject.

Scholars conclude that Chinese-speaking children and adults with a strong grounding in a dialect, any other dialect, can learn to speak and understand Mandarin by employing roughly 1/3 the time and effort needed by most students who don't speak Chinese.

These are not different languages, only distinct dialects using alternative pronunication and tones.  This is why the government in Beijing is able to insist that schools in every province instruct kids only in Mandarin from kindergarten.  The highest standards in government schools are found not in Mandarin-speaking regions, but in Shang'hai and Guangdong Province, where Shang'hai-ese and Cantonese are the main dialects respectively.

Sensible decisions can be made about dialect preferences, as has been done in setting policies governing admissions at Chinese immersion schools around the country.  Study how these schools tackle the problem in a search for answers.

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