Students attending the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will have to show marked improvement in written and spoken English before graduating. An 'English village', a mentor programme offering personal 'advisers', and an English restaurant are part of a package of more than 20 innovations proposed by a language advisory group. English Language Re-engineering Group president Chang Hsin-kang said improving students' English would be one of CityU's most important tasks in coming years. All students will be required to attain a level of English proficiency one grade higher than the minimum entrance requirement for their course. If a student gains an 'E' in the public examination, he or she must get a 'D' before graduating. They will be required to sit a Hong Kong Examinations Authority test comprising five modules in reading, writing, listening, comprehension and practical skills. English assessment also will apply to regular course-work assignments. Professor Chang said the measures would apply to about 70 per cent of the intake of 3,000 CityU undergraduates for the new academic year, which starts in September. The group hopes to set up an 'English village' in the New Territories which would provide an environment for total language immersion. Students should have access to personal advisers to help them with English under the mentor programme, the group suggests. And a language clinic is proposed to help students with difficulties. A work-study programme also could be introduced. Students would be paid to work for the university or corporations in areas where they would need to use English. The language group has proposed several measures to increase students' general exposure to English on campus. They include: establishing an English club; a restaurant at which only English is spoken; broadcasting English-language programmes; and the regular screening of popular English-language films.
