Persian language SAMFA exam held in Rawalpindi and Lahore
According to IRAV, citing IRNA, the 16th Standard Persian Language Proficiency Test (SAMFA) was held on Saturday at the Cultural House of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Rawalpindi, while another test centre was also active in Lahore.
According to the report, the examination process was carried out under the supervision of Iran’s cultural attaché and the head of the Iranian Cultural House in Rawalpindi.
Mehdi Taheri, head of the Iranian Cultural House, said SAMFA, as the official benchmark for assessing the proficiency of Persian learners and international students, is administered by the National Organisation for Educational Testing in four sections: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
He said the test gives applicants the opportunity to assess their language skills and, if needed, pursue their studies at universities in Iran.
Taheri added that most of the participants in this round were students from universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as Persian learners at the Iranian Cultural House, groups that he said have in recent years welcomed in-person and online Persian language programmes.
He also claimed that Iran’s cultural mission in Rawalpindi awarded the highest number of scholarships over the past year among Iranian cultural offices in different countries to Pakistani students, and that the qualified recipients will soon begin their studies at universities in Iran.
The report added that the subcontinent, especially Pakistan, is considered one of the major centres of interest in the Persian language and literature, and names such as Hafez, Saadi and Iqbal Lahori are still heard in the country’s academic and cultural circles.
