XN000022-1996-01-10 — Page 57

(ii)

44

secondly, a pass in Chinese language in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination establishes a sufficient working knowledge that can be improved upon through practice and, where necessary, training of a higher level if required as an officer becomes more senior or his job comes to require a higher standard of Chinese than before; and

(iii) thirdly, a higher entry standard would narrow the field of suitable candidates and debar from public service otherwise very suitable applicants with a workable basic knowledge of Chinese but who lacked the higher proficiency required.

Civil Service Branch accordingly issued a circular last May requiring Heads of Department to introduce this Chinese language proficiency requirement for appointment to the permanent establishment in respect of all grades requiring a pass at HKCEE or above. The circular made it quite clear that where a higher standard of Chinese language proficiency was justified having regard to the job nature of the grade in question, then another standard could be agreed with Civil Service Branch.

In this context it should be noted that, in addition to setting a general entrance qualifications, individual grades may also set written examinations to test applicants' proficiency. For example, six grades requiring at least a university degree for entry, also require applicants to sit the Common Recruitment Examination, namely the Administrative Service, the Executive Officer Grade, the Labour Officer Grade, the Trade Officer Grade, the Management Services Officer Grade and the Information Services Officer Grade. The Common Recruitment Examination tests a range of aptitudes, including proficiency in both the Chinese and English languages.

Given the recent introduction of an across-the-board Chinese language requirement and the flexibility Heads of Department have to set higher standards where necessary it is not intended at this stage to raise the basic entry requirement above a pass in Chinese language in the HKCEE. However, we will keep the situation under close review as our plans for a biliterate and trilingual civil service develop.

End