Taiwan’s TOCFL Sees Record-Breaking Students’ Participation in Coimbatore, India
A record-breaking 101 students participated in the exam, the highest number in India at one time.
COIMBATORE (TAMIL NADU): The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India conducted the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) at Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, TN, on June 29th. This marked the 16th Mandarin proficiency test in India this year and the first in the Coimbatore area.
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education (KAHE) is an approved Mandarin examination center by the Taiwan Education Center. A record-breaking 101 students participated in the exam, the highest number in India at one time.
Peters Chen, Director of Education at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India (TECC), and Mandarin instructors Ms. Kang Chiung Wen and Ms. Wei Wei Ting from the Taiwan Education Center administered the language test.
Dr. V. Parthasarathy, Dean, under the headship of Vice Chancellor Professor B. Venkatachalapathi, organized the event, which was hosted by Dr. R. Vasanthakumar, the President and a renowned philanthropist, and founder-promoter of Karpagam Academy of Higher Education. 
India has seen a significant increase in demand for Mandarin language skills due to the shifting global supply chain and growing job opportunities in Taiwanese companies like Foxconn. As a result, students are actively developing their Mandarin proficiency to capitalize on these expanding career opportunities. The Taiwan Education Center (TEC) at KAHE is one of TECs in India providing Mandarin courses by Taiwan.
Peters Chen expressed gratitude to KAHE for their support in Mandarin teaching and the test. “Students who took the TOCFL will have more job opportunities in Taiwanese companies in India and Taiwan, and can apply for the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship to study in Taiwan for 3-6 months.”
TOCFL, as a practical and popular language test, meets international standard. Levels of TOCFL corresponds to levels used by CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, and Assessment) and ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). This can provide a basis for recognizing language qualifications across the national boundaries. For every level, the number of words or characters required differs. The TOCFL is gaining popularity in India, and the host institute expects to conduct more tests in various states in the future.
