The 2021 Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) organized by the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia was held successfully on December 4th, 2021 in Chinese Taipei School Kuala Lumpur under strict compliance to the COVID-19’s standard operation procedures (SOPs).
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. To highlight, there are also included Malay, American, British, Korean and Vietnamese candidates. Most of them are students, some of the candidates work as educators, administrators, marketers, and others. Both listening and reading tests were conducted for an hour each respectively.
In the pre-examination meeting, Ms. 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 mentioned that 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 tests. She also highlighted that there are more than 60 university’s Mandarin Language Centers in Taiwan, offering various Mandarin programs and related resources which are suitable for all kind of Mandarin learners. She welcomes students to learn Mandarin in Taiwan.
Ms. Cheng Yafen, Principal of Chinese Taipei School Kuala Lumpur mentioned that the school strictly followed preventative SOPs to ensure the test takers taking the test in a safe environment. For instance, the candidates required showing the photo of negative rapid salive test result, and their status in MySejahtera App must be “Low Risk No Symptoms” before entering the school. Furthermore, she pointed out that the school managed to launch the weekend online mandarin courses for adults to promote the Mandarin education in Malaysia. The courses are taught by professional teachers and more classes will be expectedly available in 2022.
The TOCFL acts as a useful and standardized assessment tool for Mandarin proficiency levels which is in corresponding with CEFR and ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Apart from being the necessary document for the “Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship” application, the TOCFL certificate acts as a reference document of the Mandarin Language Proficiency Level for Taiwan Universities and College application. The certificate also helps many Taiwanese enterprises in Malaysia to evaluate the job applicants’ Mandarin Language skill. Therefore, the Education Division encourages educational institutions or international schools to apply for the TOCFL to evaluate students’ Mandarin Language proficiency. For further information regarding TOCFL, kindly visit the website of the Education Division (https://www.edutwmy.com).