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SCMP Reporter

Hong Kong will get 2,800 additional Putonghua teachers under a new, three-year Education Department programme.

  A department spokesman said the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Baptist University (BU) would both run 130-hour courses this academic year to provide sufficient training for the extra Putonghua teachers.

  Education Commission Report 6 supported a move to introduce a new Putonghua curriculum to primary and secondary schools in 1998.

  Meanwhile, Putonghua will be included in the HKCEE in 2000 as an independent subject.

  The Education Department will spend an estimated $7.5 million on training Putonghua teachers in 1997-98.

 The Putonghua syllabus, designed by the Curriculum Development Council, got the official nod last January before its introduction at primary and secondary levels in the current academic year.

 Publishers of appropriate educational material were asked to prepare suitable textbooks.

  The Education Department spokesman said: 'To support the implementation of the new Putonghua curriculum, the department planned to train 2,800 additional Putonghua teachers over three years - starting from the 1997-98 academic year - by commissioning training courses at tertiary institutions. Nine tertiary institutions were invited to submit tenders in July.'  It was decided this month that HKU and BU were the successful tenderers.

 HKU's Faculty of Education will conduct 20 courses for 600 in-service secondary school teachers, while BU's School of Continuing Education will offer 15 courses for 450 primary school teachers.

  Teachers signing up for the courses will concentrate on developing their Putonghua skills in listening, speaking and reading aloud, as well as appropriate teaching strategies.

  The courses, running for about 130 hours, will be offered outside school hours at various centres on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories.

 These courses are expected to start as early as next month and should be completed by June or July next year, the department spokesman said. Schools had been invited to nominate teachers for the courses. About 2,500 applications were received for the first 1,050 places offered.



$7.5m to help push Putonghua