Putonghua is set for a boost in Hong Kong in the form of a new Training and Assessment Centre.
The centre, set up by the University of Hong Kong and China's State Language Commission, will bring in mainland experts to train local teachers and assessors to evaluate the quality of teaching in Hong Kong.
It comes under the wing of HKU's Faculty of Education and faculty Dean Professor Cheng Kai-ming.
HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheng Yiu-chung and director of the Centre for Education and Examination of Chinese Common Speech Meng Jiping , signed the agreement in the presence of the director of the State Language Commission, Professor Xu Jialu , at the university last week.
'Hong Kong needs a comprehensive Mandarin curriculum, formal training and assessment schemes to meet the rising demand for Mandarin programmes,' said Professor Cheng Yiu-chung.
Professor Cheng Kai-ming said the centre would target proficient Putonghua speakers and focus on disciplines concerning teaching methods, language standardisation and assessment training.
