A GRADUATE student surnamed Liu at Fudan University in Shanghai cherished a dream - to study abroad while teaching foreigners Chinese.

Over the weekend, Liu took China's first Chinese teaching certificate examination, which was held simultaneously in 19 Chinese cities.

The exam, aimed at teaching foreigners Chinese, was established at the beginning of this year by the leadership office for teaching Chinese as a foreign language under the Ministry of Education, as part of its drive to standardize the teaching business. Only those who pass the exam and acquire the related certificate will be allowed to teach foreigners Chinese in the country or abroad. It replaced the previous qualification exam for Chinese language teachers instructing foreigners.

Before entering the exam hall in Shanghai, Liu received a text message from several of his students from the Republic of Korea, "Wish our teacher great success in the exam."

"Actually, I only gave them some instructions on Chinese learning. If I pass the exam, I can be called a Chinese-language teacher and can go to anywhere outside China to teach the language," Liu said.

Along with China's fast economic growth, the Chinese language has drawn increasing attention. It is reported that nearly 40 million foreigners are studying Chinese, with courses on the language taught at 2,300-plus universities across the world. Annually, 60,000 foreign students enroll at colleges on the Chinese mainland to study the language.

The number of qualified teachers, however, is estimated at just around 3,000 nationwide.

According to the school of international cultural exchange of Fudan University, which was Shanghai's only examination venue, over 1,300 people took the teaching examination this year.

Editor: Wing