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MONDAY, JULY 27, 1981
TWO TYPES OF COURSES ARE RUN, A COLLOQUIAL CANTONESE COURSE, AND A WRITTEN COURSE.
THE COLLOQUIAL COURSE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR LEVELS, NAMELY ELEMENTARY, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED AND ADVANCED 11. THE WRITTEN COURSE IS DIVIDED INTO ELEMENTARY, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED LEVELS.
THERE ARE FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME COURSES.
THE FULL-TIME COURSES PROVIDE LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR OFFICERS WHO HAVE TO PASS THE CANTONESE EXAMINATIONS FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE IR POSTS, OR FOR PROMOTION,
THE PART-TIME COURSES ARE VOLUNTARY, DAY-RELEASE COURSES, RUN FOR OFFICERS WHO, IN THE IR OWN INTERÉST, WANT TO STUDY CANTONESE.
THE FULL-TIME COURSES AT EACH LEVEL RUN FROM EIGHT TO 11 WEEKS, OF 30 TO 38 SESSIONS OF 45-MINUTE DURATION A WEEK.
PART-TIME COURSES ARE CONDUCTED TWICE A WEEK FOR 34 WEEKS AT EACH LEVEL, EACH SESSION LASTING 90 MINUTES.
ON COMPLETION OF THE COURSES, THE STUDENTS ARE EXAMINED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS UNIT.
THE PART-TIME COURSE ATTRACTS PEOPLE SUCH AS LAWYERS, ENGINEERS, SURVEYORS, AS WELL AS OFFICERS' WIVES, AND EVEN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
ABOUT THREE TIMES MORE PEOPLE TAKE THE PART-TIME COURSE THAN THE FULL-TIME COURSE. IN THE 18 YEARS SINCE 1963, WHEN THE SECTION WAS FIRST SET UP, ABOUT 3 500 PERSONS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE IR COURSES, MR LEE POINTED OUT.
OF THE AVERAGE OF 400 OR SO STUDENTS TAKING THE COURSE EACH YEAR FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, SOME 300 SAT FOR THE EXAMINATIONS, AND ABOUT 85 PER CENT PASSED.
WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME, IN WHICH MORE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO WORK DIRECTLY IN CONTACT WITH THE PUBLIC, HE SAW A GREATER NEED IN FUTURE FOR SUCH LANGUAGE COURSES, MR LEE SAID.
AND SPECIAL SESSIONS, SUCH AS ON HOW TO CONDUCT MEETINGS WOULD BE INCLUDED, SO AS TO HELP MAKE THE WORK FOR THE OFFICERS EAS JER, HE SAID.
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