Mass protests in Inner Mongolia against government decision to make school subjects Mandarin-only

Protest has broken out in Inner Mongolia - an autonomous region of China - over a decision to replace the use of the Mongolian language with Mandarin Chinese in some school subjects.

According to Radio Free Asia and several international media outlets, over the next three years, the Mongolian language will be phased out of three subjects - language and literature, politics and history - taught in the region. However, there will still be Mongolian and Korean language classes.

The move has concerned some in the region who feel their culture and tradition is being overridden by the central Chinese Government and they are being forced to assimilate.

New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center cites a local teacher as saying the "fate" of the language has been "sealed".

"We argued to defend our rights to mother tongue that are guaranteed by the Chinese Constitutions and the Ethnic Minority Autonomy Law," the teacher said. 

"This not only is unconstitutional but also is a flagrant violation of the basic human rights of the Mongolian people from a universal human rights perspective."

The human rights group this week posted videos of "thousands" of students taking the streets in the area protesting the change and demanding "their right to receive education in their native language". 

Video posted to Reddit appears to show students at an Inner Mongolia school rushing down the school's gates after being forced inside. Radio Free Asia reports that police cordons have been laid out around schools to ensure students remain inside and don't join their parents in protest.

Riot police were reportedly sent to one country-like area to lock a campus down after widespread protest.

The BBC spoke to staff at one school who said only about 40 of the usually 1000 students had registered for the semester. After some changed their mind, only about 10 remained.

Many children have been kept home from school to protest.

Meanwhile, Radio Free Asia also reports that Mongolian WeChat groups have been shut down and Mongolian-language books are being removed from stores.

"In some places, the local police have been beating people up, beating up ethnic Mongolians, for protesting in the streets," one person told the outlet. 

"This is oppression of ethnic minorities."

The Guardian reports the official explanation for the change to the education curriculum was to make sure it was of a high standard. It also says Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged a shared language as part of a common identity. The BBC says the regional authority in Inner Mongolia references the need for "strengthening national language in ethnic areas".

The suppression of ethnic and religious minorities in China is of increasing concern to world leaders. Many have criticised the country's treatment of the Uighur people in the province of Xinjiang. According to human rights groups and former detainees, many Uighurs are tortured and brainwashed as authorities attempt to make them reject their faith. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised human rights issues with President Xi during her trip to the nation last year.