Showcasing the Achievements of the Education System: International Chinese Proficiency Test for Preschoolers Kicks Off

(Sibu, 20th) — Organized by the Sarawak Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Students Associations and co-organized by the Kindergarten Teachers’ Associations of Sibu, Sarikei, and Kapit, the 2nd “International Chinese Proficiency Competition for Young Children” and the inaugural “Grade One Chun Ya Cup Chinese Challenge Competition” officially commenced last Saturday morning (18/10) at Sibu Rajang Garden Kindergarten, with a simple yet grand unsealing ceremony.
Guests attending the event included the Federation President Wong Shou Yong, Kindergarten Teachers’ Association Chairperson Siao Daifang, Vice Chairperson Huang Payun, as well as founding president and adviser Huang Bilin, among others.
In his speech, Wong Shou Yong pointed out that Malaysia is one of the few overseas countries with a complete Chinese education system, allowing children to progress from kindergarten through primary and secondary school up to university—a well-formed Chinese educational chain. He said that these young children entering a standardized international examination room are the best testament to the success and solid roots of this system.
“Sarawak’s Chinese schools have a deep foundation and have always emphasized the inheritance of culture and language, but it’s still rare for children at the preschool stage to formally participate in standardized exams. Introducing the international Chinese assessment mechanism aims to instill in children a serious attitude toward learning and examinations from an early age.”
He said that, on the international stage, though the examinees in our country are young, they are able to handle Level 3 and Level 4 of the YCT (Youth Chinese Test), demonstrating the solid and excellent foundation of Chinese language education and environment here.
He also noted that the number of students registering for SPM and STPM Chinese subjects domestically is declining year by year, so it is important to start from a young age and let children realize that Chinese is not merely an interest, but a subject worthy of emphasis.
“The registration fee for this exam is RM150 to RM180 per person, higher than the average activity fee, yet parents are still willing to invest, showing their trust in and emphasis on their children’s education.”
YCT is an internationally standardized Chinese language assessment developed by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation under China’s Ministry of Education. Level 3 covers about 300 everyday words, while Level 4 increases this to 600, focusing on listening comprehension and contextual application, helping teachers and parents to grasp the children’s true level of Chinese and laying a solid foundation for future learning.
This year’s competition had a total of 51 preschoolers and first graders signing up, with candidates from Rajang Garden Kindergarten, Sin An Tong Kindergarten, Sin Fuyuan Tong Methodist Kindergarten, Fumali Kindergarten, Qdees, Rajang Garden Primary, Methodist Primary, Central Primary, Sili Primary, Tun Hua Primary, Yizhi Primary, Dongshan Primary, Zhongxing Primary, Jianxing Primary and other schools.