Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1998

A New Research Centre The Centre for Research and Development of P u t o n g h ua E d u c a t i on was established on campus i n September 1998 b y the Faculty of Ed u c a t i on and the H o n g K o n g I n s t i t u te of Educational Research. Endorsed by the State Language and Writing Commission, the centre is devoted to the p r omo t i on of p u t o n g h ua education, t r a i n i ng of p u t o n g h ua teachers, initiation of academic research, and publication of research findings and teaching materials, so that putonghua can be w i d e ly accepted in H o ng Kong. The centre is also equipped w i t h a computer system that conducts putonghua proficiency tests. The tests have been endorsed by the State Language and Writing Commission, and those w h o pass w i l l be qualified to teach putonghua. Mr. Z hu Xin-jun (left 2) a nd Mr. Fu Yong-he (right 1) f r om the State Language a nd Writing Commission w i th Prof. Y.P. C h u ng (left 1 ) a nd Prof. Arthur K.C. Li (right 2) at the o p e n i ng of t he n e w centre. Self-access Learn i ng Mater i a ls and Research F i nd i ngs For the self-learner, the University produces a variety of self-access language learning materials. The Ch i n e se a n d E n g l i sh D i s t a n ce E d u c a t i on Courses of the School of Continuing Studies a l l o w l e a r n e rs to s t u d y a n d r e c e i ve instruction at home. Certain English courses are taught via the Internet. Students have only to download the course guide f r om the N e t a nd send assignments to a nd receive ma r k ed assignments f r om the school t h r o u gh e-mail. The Chinese Un i v e r s i ty Press shows its concern for language education t h r o u gh its publications on the subject, w h i c h are w e l l received by teachers, parents, and students alike. Its recent publication, English News Writing, is a useful reference for students of journalism and communication studies as well as iournalists. Gudian Jinghua, c omp i l ed and edited u n d er the s u p e r v i s i on of the U n i v e r s i t y, came o ut i n 1997. Containing selected canonical essays w i t h notes b y scholars f r om H o n g Ko n g, ma i n l a nd China, and Taiwan, the p u b l i c a t i on serves as an i mp o r t a nt reference for b o th students and self-learners of the Chinese language. The N g Tor-Tai Chinese Language Research Centre of the Institute of Chinese Studies regularly publishes its research f i n d i n gs o n the Chinese script, p r o n u n c i a t i o n, g r amma r, and vocabulary, w i t h the objective of raising the standard of Chinese language teaching in Ho ng Kong. 35 Years of Bilingual Education 13