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Language training courses organised for university students
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Law Cheung-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph WP Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
Reply:
Is the Government aware of:
(a)
(b)
Mr President,
(a)
the respective language training courses organised by each of the universities in the territory for students with lower Chinese language and English language standards, so as to improve their language proficiency; and
the mechanism in place in each university to assess the proficiency in the Chinese and English languages of each undergraduate on a periodic basis?
Details of language training courses organised by each of the publicly- funded universities in the territory for students with lower Chinese language and English language standards are set out at Annex A.
The City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology require their first-year undergraduate students with low grades in Chinese and/or English language subjects in the Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination to attend compulsory language courses.
At the University of Hong Kong, all first-year undergraduates are required to attend English enhancement courses. Chinese language enhancement programmes are offered mainly on a voluntary basis, but are compulsory for students in the Department of Architecture.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong offers elective Chinese proficiency and English proficiency courses as well as discipline- specific English courses on a credit-bearing basis. With effect from 1996-97, compulsory language course requirements have been introduced for all first-year undergraduate students in the Faculties of Business Administration, Engineering and Social Sciences.
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