Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 23 rd: Many provinces have broken the ice. Where will the foreign language test for professional titles be implemented for more than 20 years?
Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporter
Ma Jun is the head of a grass-roots institution in Anhui. Because he has never passed the English test for professional titles, he is still a junior professional title at the age of 44, and his salary is much less than that of his colleagues with higher professional titles.
Since the establishment of the foreign language examination for professional titles for more than 20 years, it has been accompanied by questions such as "one size fits all" and "chicken ribs". In March this year, the "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the System and Mechanism of Talent Development" issued by the Central Committee made it clear that the leading role of the employer in the evaluation of professional titles should be highlighted, the authority for the evaluation of professional titles should be reasonably defined and decentralized, and the independent evaluation of universities, research institutes and state-owned enterprises should be promoted; There is no uniform requirement for the professional title foreign language and computer application ability test.
An interview with Xinhua Viewpoint reporter learned that at present, at least four provinces in China have cancelled the compulsory requirements of foreign language test for professional titles, and most regions and units are still waiting to see.
Every year, the "hard leverage" that about one million people apply for becomes a chicken rib, and "knocking on the door" breeds all kinds of chaos.
"If I rely on my qualifications and business ability, I will definitely have no problem evaluating the deputy high school, but it is stuck in the professional title English." Ma Jun said. Behind the evaluation of professional titles is income and promotion. Compared with colleagues with sub-high professional titles, Ma Jun’s monthly salary is less than that of 1000 yuan. At the same time, his low professional title has restricted his promotion many times.
The national professional title foreign language examination is a "hard lever" for professional and technical personnel in state-owned enterprises and institutions to promote their professional titles. Except for a few groups that meet the requirements of exemption from examination, most employees of enterprises and institutions need to pass the corresponding foreign language examination for professional titles before they have the prerequisite to declare the corresponding professional titles. Over the years, on average, about one million people apply for foreign language titles every year.
The reporter learned that this exam, which caused many people a headache, began in the 1990s. In November 1990, with the first evaluation and engagement of professional and technical posts in enterprises and institutions nationwide, the former Ministry of Personnel issued the Interim Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Evaluation and Engagement of Professional and Technical Posts in Enterprises and Institutions, which stated that the evaluation and engagement of professional and technical posts must strictly adhere to the basic qualifications such as ability, performance and corresponding foreign language level stipulated in the Trial Regulations on Professional and Technical Posts.
On the basis of the pilot test of foreign language grade examination for professional titles in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the former Ministry of Personnel stipulated that the foreign language grade examination for professional titles should be unified nationwide from 1999, and required professional and technical personnel to hold or promote corresponding professional and technical positions, and they must obtain a certificate of conformity for the unified foreign language examination for corresponding professional titles.
Liu Shanying, an associate researcher at the Institute of Political Science, China Academy of Social Sciences, said that the rigid requirement of foreign language examination for professional titles has really played a positive role in improving the comprehensive professional quality of employees in state-owned enterprises and institutions and expanding foreign exchanges and cooperation. However, with the overall improvement of national education level and foreign language level, the national unified professional title foreign language examination has also exposed many disadvantages.
Zhang Li, a doctor in a public hospital in Shanghai, said that all the new doctors have at least graduated from master’s degree, and have passed the CET-4 or postgraduate examination, and have a certain foreign language level. Moreover, if you can’t read English and don’t understand professional papers at work, it is basically impossible to send papers. It’s a complete waste of time to keep taking exams for English for professional titles as you apply for promotion.
In addition, as a "stepping stone" to professional title evaluation, professional title foreign language examination has become a cash cow for some institutions and individuals, which breeds all kinds of chaos. Before the exam, all kinds of "guaranteed" training information were flying all over the sky, and some training courses even publicly instructed cheating; In the exam, cheating such as taking the exam instead of the exam and transmitting the answers to the questions are repeatedly prohibited; After the exam, the organization that holds the accurate personal information of the candidates claims that it can "modify the scores online". Last year, Hunan Personnel Examinations Institute reported that there were 3,168 candidates who violated discipline in personnel examinations in the province within two years, including 1,841 candidates who took foreign language examinations for professional titles, which became the "hardest hit" for serious violations of discipline.
In fact, in some places, the hard and fast rules of foreign language test for professional titles have been quietly "shelved" in concrete implementation. In recent years, many places have gradually expanded the scope of exemption from the foreign language examination for professional titles, and some units have stipulated that people over 50 who declare their professional titles can be exempted from the examination. According to the regulations of Anhui Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, men over 50 years old and women over 45 years old can be exempted from taking foreign languages with professional titles. Shanxi, Jilin, Changchun and other regions have also proposed that foreign language requirements should be abolished for professional and technical personnel in grass-roots units at or below the county level.
The progress of implementation varies from place to place, and some places are worried about increasing the pressure of professional title evaluation after cancellation.
In recent years, the voice of canceling professional titles of foreign languages is getting louder and louder. The state has successively issued policies to make it clear that there is no rigid requirement for the evaluation of titles of rural teachers and medical personnel at or below the county level. It is clear in the Opinions of the Central Committee on Deepening the Reform of the System and Mechanism of Talent Development that there is no uniform requirement for the foreign language examination for professional titles. Six months after this policy was clarified, how was it implemented in various places?
The reporter found that at least four provinces including Beijing, Guangdong, Henan and Shandong and Wenzhou, Zhejiang have issued policies to clarify that "foreign languages for professional titles are not required uniformly" or "foreign languages for professional titles are not required for job evaluation". In addition, Shanxi, Jiangxi, Jilin Changchun, Jiangsu Changzhou and other places put forward that the declaration of intermediate and below professional and technical qualifications does not require foreign language titles.
The foreign language policy document on the adjustment of professional titles issued by Henan Province in August this year stipulates that the foreign language of professional and technical personnel is not a necessary condition for the evaluation of professional and technical positions; According to the characteristics of series, specialty and post, the employer can independently determine whether the foreign language with professional title is a condition for the appointment of professional and technical posts. The reporter found that the conditions and policies for the evaluation of professional titles in many industries in Henan Province no longer mention the requirements related to foreign language qualifications.
In Beijing’s policy of deepening the reform of talent development system and mechanism, it is proposed that the unified examination of professional titles, foreign languages and computer application ability should be abolished, and the evaluation basis should be determined by the employer according to the research field and post characteristics. The reporter called the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, and the relevant staff replied that according to the practice of previous years, the foreign language test for professional titles is generally registered in December and will be taken in March next year. "How to cancel the foreign language test for professional titles has not yet been issued." However, this year, primary and secondary school teachers in Beijing have cancelled the examination requirements for professional titles, foreign languages and computer application ability. Li Wei, director of the Physical Education and Art Department of the Second Affiliated High School of Beijing Normal University, said that when the school organizes teachers to declare their professional titles, it is no longer necessary to provide examination results of foreign languages with professional titles.
The staff of the Professional and Technical Personnel Management Office of Anhui Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security said that the power to set qualifications such as professional title foreign language examination has been delegated to the professional title evaluation committees of various industries. "The province should uniformly cancel the professional title foreign language examination requirements and may get it next year."
A person in charge of the personnel department of a local university told the reporter that although the central government has a clear policy, they still dare not easily cancel the foreign language proficiency requirements for professional titles in the current professional title evaluation. Because the education department and schools now have a limit on the number of professors’ senior titles, there are far more qualified personnel than the number of posts.
"In this context, the professional title foreign language test is equivalent to setting a threshold to automatically block some groups whose foreign language level is not up to standard." The person in charge said that after the abolition of foreign languages with professional titles, how to select and allocate the limited number of jobs will become a further problem.
If the power is fully delegated to the employer, the foreign language examination may be changed from "required item" to "additional item"
Wu Jiang, former president of China Institute of Personnel Science, said: "In the past, the evaluation criteria and procedural requirements for professional titles were unified throughout the country, but now the central government stipulates ‘ Led by the employing subject ’ , but how to determine ‘ Employer ’ There is no uniform requirement on how to implement it, so most provinces are still waiting to see. "
"Some localities and units are worried that it will increase the difficulty of job title evaluation after canceling the foreign language examination. What is revealed behind it is the simplified thinking of talent management." Wu Jiang said that professional titles reflect the professional and technical level of employees in their posts, so the evaluation criteria should be determined around job requirements. The national abolition of the "one-size-fits-all" requirement for foreign languages with professional titles aims at improving the evaluation system of professional titles and achieving scientific and fair evaluation of talents.
"The fact that a foreign language is not a prerequisite for evaluating professional titles does not mean that the foreign language test for professional titles must be cancelled." Liu Shanying said.
According to the Shandong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the time for professional and technical personnel to participate in continuing education every year should not be less than 90 hours. You can change the title foreign language test from "required item" to "additional item" to encourage and guide professional and technical personnel to strengthen foreign language learning.
Experts such as Wu Jiang suggested that the power to set the qualification of foreign language examination for professional titles should be further delegated to the employer, rather than the professional title evaluation committees of various industries. At the same time, comprehensively optimize the standards and processes of professional title evaluation, and truly reflect the scientific evaluation of talents. (Reporter Li Jinfeng, Wu Mengda, Li Fang, Chen Shangying)
