SECONDARY school students were told yesterday to work hard on their Chinese if they want to join the Government.
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Michael Sze Cho-cheung, gave the message when he introduced the 'Report on the Use of Chinese in the Civil Service' to the media.
The report, which suggests greater day-to-day use of Chinese, setting up new training programmes, new entry qualifications and Chinese computer programmes, aims to have civil servants reading two languages and able to speak three.
Greater use of Chinese was proposed for written staff reports, letters and recruitment interviews for junior staff or notes of internal meetings attended by local staff.
'We are encouraging the staff to use Chinese in a natural environment in which the use of Chinese can save time and enhance efficiency,' Mr Sze said.
'The situation that a staff member answers a letter in Chinese by drafting in English and then gives the draft to a Chinese language officer to translate should no longer exist.' Mr Sze said the public should welcome the change as it would be made in response to the changing political environment.
