PETALING JAYA: The 2021 Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) organised by the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) was held on Dec 4 in Chinese Taipei School Kuala Lumpur under strict compliance to the Covid-19’s standard operation procedures (SOP).
More than 60 candidates from different backgrounds registered for the TOCFL in Malaysia. Three bands of language proficiency were open for the candidates which were Band A (beginner level), Band B (intermediate level), and Band C (advanced level).
The age of the candidates ranges from 15 years old to 37 years old including Malay, American, British, Korean and Vietnamese candidates. Most of them are students, and some educators, administrators, marketers, etc. Both listening and reading tests were conducted for an hour each respectively.
In the pre-examination meeting, Charlin Chang, Director of Education Division of TECO in Malaysia appreciated the efforts of the invigilators and staffs on behalf of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Taiwan.
She said the TOCFL certificate is beneficial to those who wish to pursue their studies and work in Taiwan as the test is a set of standardized language proficiency assessments.
She also highlighted that there are more than 60 university-affiliated Mandarin Language Centers in Taiwan, offering various Mandarin programs and related resources suitable for all levels of Mandarin learners. She welcomes students to learn Mandarin in Taiwan.
Cheng Yafen, Principal of Chinese Taipei School Kuala Lumpur said the school strictly followed preventative SOP to ensure all candidates taking the test in a safe environment.
For instance, the candidates are required to show the photo of negative rapid salive test result, and their status in MySejahtera App must be “Low Risk No Symptoms” before entering the campus.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the school managed to launch the weekend online mandarin courses for adults to promote Mandarin education in Malaysia. The courses are taught by professional teachers and more classes will be available in 2022.
The TOCFL, acting as a useful and standardized assessment tool for Mandarin proficiency levels, corresponds to CEFR and ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
Apart from being a necessary document for the “Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship” application, the TOCFL certificate is also a reference document of the Mandarin Language Proficiency Level for application to Taiwan Universities and College.
For many Taiwanese enterprises in Malaysia, the TOCFL certificate plays an important role in evaluating the Mandarin Language skill of an individual.
Aside from the annual TOCFL, the Education Division encourages educational institutions or international schools to apply for holding the Test for TOCFL to evaluate students’ Mandarin Language proficiency as well as assess the instruction and learning outcomes. Those who are interested in taking TOCFL, please kindly visit the website of the Education Division (https://www.edutwmy.com).
