XN000022-1995-09-13 — Page 4

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All new appointees to the Administrative Officer grade will be required to attend a compulsory Chinese writing course in the first year of service. Administrative Officers who require brushing up in their Chinese writing skills will be given training by 1997;

* Training opportunities for local departmental officers and Executive Officers who have to use written Chinese regularly in their daily work will be substantially enhanced;

* Short modular courses will be introduced for departmental staff to improve

their proficiency in written Chinese;

* Basic Putonghua training will be provided to all serving local Administrative Officers by 1997. Training opportunities will also be provided for them to raise their proficiency to the standard of advanced Putonghua during the period;

* Putonghua training will be widely available to local departmental officers

and Executive Officers to meet operational needs and to create a nucleus of officers who have to use Putonghua in official contacts with PRC officials;

* Self-learning packages are being distributed on a wider scale to staff who

are also entitled to attend guidance sessions.

* Overseas permanent and pensionable officers in the Administrative grade who have opted to remain in service after 1997 will be given priority in intensive training in Cantonese and where practical, written Chinese;

Overseas departmental officers will be given Cantonese training based on operational needs.

In addition, heads of departments are encouraged to arrange their own in-house Cantonese training courses for overseas officers on a more intensive basis.

Mr Sze said the standard of Chinese in day-to-day use should not be set inordinately high.

"Considerations such as proper form and fluency of style should not, initially, be given as much emphasis in internal communication as they should be in official publications and documents," he said.