Chinese experts are worried about the degrading Chinese proficiency of children and college students, as their mother tongue loses out to English in popularity on campuses.

The Vocational Chinese Test (ZHC), an examination to test citizens' Chinese skills, will be introduced this month in Shanghai and its creators anticipate it will eventually become a necessity when applying for jobs related to public communication, law, and education.

"It is estimated there are at least 2,000 vocations in China, each of them requiring eight core vocational capabilities with communication skills topping the list," said Hou Gang, head of National Vocational Chinese Test Research and Development Center, adding that the test system was approved in 2003 after a long period of research and trials.

The ZHC focuses on reading and writing skills, as compared to another similar exam, the Putonghua Test, which measures spoken language skills in Chinese.

"We aim to test the examinees' abilities in terms of practical language use, not linguistic knowledge such as grammar terms. In addition to the use of language, we also attach special importance to logical thinking," said Hou.

According to Hou, anyone who passes the test will obtain a certificate issued by the Occupational Skill Testing Authority (OSTA). Based on test scores, there are three levels of certificates.

Since 2003, the exam has been administered to 30,000 people in Beijing, Liaoning, and Zhejiang, almost 70 percent of which were college students. Of all tested, 599 received advanced certificates, the highest level, while about 5 percent failed the examination.

According to Yan Yiming, a linguistic expert with the Chinese language department of East China Normal University, the Chinese test portion of the college entrance examination, the most influential and authoritative Chinese language test in China, has failed to adequately test a full range of skills. He hopes the ZHC will alter the trend of "ore English, less Chinese"on college campuses.

Some colleges and institutions have already used the ZHC to test applicants' Chinese skills. It has been instituted as a part of the post-graduate exam for Beijing Normal University as well as the official selection process for the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

Sources with the Shanghai Language Work Committee say a test system focusing on Chinese characters is in development to add as a supplement to the ZHC.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, March 18, 2007)