The 2016 Taiwan Higher Education Fair, the largest overseas fair focusing on Taiwan’s higher education institutions, kicked off Aug. 6 in Kuala Lumpur, reflecting the government’s interest in attracting students from Malaysia, the largest source of international students studying in Taiwan.
Deputy Minister of Education Chen Liang-gee and officials from 99 Taiwan universities were among those who attended the fair, which is designed to deepen educational exchanges and jointly incubate talents, according to the Ministry of Education.
“The event stands as a symbol of the New Southbound Policy, a talent-based initiative formulated by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen that underscores the importance of reciprocal exchanges and the sharing of resources,” Chen said.
The New Southbound Policy involves enhancing ties with nations in South and Southeast Asia across a wide range of fields, such as education, tourism and investment. Under the policy, the nation is also seeking to diversify its exports and minimize overreliance on any single market.
According to Chen Kuo-chen, deputy counselor with the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education under the MOE, “More international students in Taiwan come from Malaysia than any other country, with nearly 15,000 Malaysians attending local higher education institutions in 2015, a 12.5 percent increase from 2014.”
Malaysian students have consistently achieved academic excellence in Taiwan, having been awarded just under half of the scholarships ever offered by the government to overseas students, according to ministry statistics. In keeping with the spirit of the New Southbound Policy, the MOE said it aims to significantly increase the number of scholarships earmarked for students from Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states as well as India.
Also on the opening day of the event, the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia and representatives from 11 Taiwan universities concluded a letter of intent that will allow students applying to any of the 11 institutions to benefit from tuition waivers in the form of student loans. Upon graduation, the loans will be converted into scholarships and written off if the students return to Malaysia to teach Chinese in a school affiliated with the association.
The ministry expects educational exchanges will continue to enhance ties between Taiwan and nations in South and Southeast Asia, as evidenced by a meeting between Deputy Minister Chen and Malaysia Deputy Minister of Education Chong Sin-woon that took place on Aug. 4. The two discussed the current status of educational exchanges and methods to further such efforts in the future. (KSC-JG)
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