Two local tertiary institutes have signed a three-year agreement with China's State Language Commission to promote the study of Putonghua in Hong Kong.
Under the agreement, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) will be authorised to conduct the Putonghua proficiency test, supported by the commission.
The HKIEd had earlier collaborated with the commission in testing local students' Putonghua proficiency. Since the HKIEd established its Putonghua Training and Testing Centre (PTTC) in 1997, there has been a gradual increase in the number of students signing up for the programme.
The demand for qualified Putonghua teachers is on the rise, as more schools adopt the language as the teaching medium during Chinese lessons.
At a signing ceremony held at HKUST earlier this week, HKUST president Paul Chu Ching-wu said there was growing interest among students at his university in learning Putonghua.
'As Chinese nationals, we have a responsibility to speak Putonghua well. We hope to encourage our students to take advantage of this testing service to raise their Putonghua proficiency,' Professor Chu said.