The committee however introduced amendments that will allow Palau Community College to develop an exam to test the verbal, conversational, basic language skills and comprehension of foreign in either Palauan or English languages.The bill proposed by Sen. Santy Asanuma said that the measure is critical both to the productivity of government and private business as well as to the protection of the workers’ right and that all individuals employed in the country have a minimal ability to speak either Palauan or English.However, the Senate panel said that the measure cannot come into force immediately because PCC needs time to design the language proficiency exams.The PCC will also need time to develop the process by which the exams should be administered.One of the issues that came out during the committee hearing was that there should be a set standard to establish a minimum level of proficiency that all workers must meet.The committee also exempted the citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.Foreign workers who are in Palau for a government sponsored Capital Improvement Project and foreign workers who are employed by or volunteering at the Ministry of Health should also be exempted.The committee proposed that the Labor Division will deny any work permit unless the worker has passed the test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or files a certificate stating that they have passed a verbal language test of either Palauan or English from PCC.
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