As the language becomes more important, officials consider it a vital stepping stone to a successful career
The public is being urged to take Putonghua proficiency tests as the language becomes increasingly important in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) said there had been an increasing number of people taking Putonghua tests it offered though the numbers remained small.
Candidates taking the Test of Proficiency in Putonghua (TPP) had increased from 290 in 2001 to 591 this year, and the Test of Advanced Proficiency in Putonghua (TAPP) from 496 to 684.
The TPP and TAPP are written and oral tests.Teachers who pass the TAPP can be exempted from several papers from the Language Proficiency Assessment Test (Putonghua).
'The test is very useful because more and more employers are looking for people with proven proficiency in the language, and qualification offered by HKEAA is widely recognised,' said the authority's communication division head Shadow Wong Yin-hung.
'But obviously not many people are aware of the test as we have got no more than 10,000 candidates in the past 10 years. I wish more people would apply for the test as Putonghua is just as important as English.'