More than 10,000 people yesterday took the Ministry of Education’s Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) proficiency certification examination.
A total of 10,359 people signed up for the examination, which was held at 33 schools across the nation, the ministry said.
Twenty-two examinees were in their 70s, with the oldest a 79-year-old woman surnamed Lin (林), the ministry said.
“Speaking Hoklo is like breathing to me, but learning the Taiwanese Romanization System is very challenging. My teacher encouraged my classmates and me to sign up for this examination to see how well we have learned. This is my first time taking it. I hope that I will pass,” Lin said.
The youngest examinee, a five-year-old girl surnamed Chang (張), said it was her first formal examination.
Chang’s mother, who accompanied her, said: “Hoklo is our mother tongue. This will be a special experience for her. I hope that she will find it interesting.”
The ministry said that the examination, now in its seventh year, is open to people of all ages, ethnicities and nationalities, adding that parents are encouraged to sign up with their children to pass Hoklo on to future generations.
The ministry said that the test has over the past two years drawn more than 10,000 examinees.
People who pass the examination would be qualified to teach Hoklo at courses offered by schools, it said, adding that certificates will be mailed to people who passed the test from Oct. 31.
Examination results are to be made available on Oct. 17 on the examination’s Web site, http://blgjts.moe.edu.tw.
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