There are some Hong Kong people who say we should all learn Mandarin, but that is more political than anything else.
A lot of people are learning Mandarin now.
A lot of Cantonese want to learn Mandarin as well.
In his class we were told we had to learn Mandarin quickly, or we would be sent home.
Some students had not yet mastered English, and/or were learning Mandarin as a third language.
He learned Mandarin there and got to see every part of Asia that one could see.
The main difference of the school is all students are required to learn Mandarin.
The school was originally created to make sure all children of Chinese nationals learn Mandarin.
You could learn school-perfect Mandarin and still not be able to order from a sidewalk vendor.
He learned Mandarin, becoming sufficiently fluent to conduct services in it.