School-level International Education Program between India and Taiwan Launched
Taiwan inaugurated the International Education Programme 2.0 for Primary and Secondary Schools with Indian partners with a signing ceremony at Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, New Delhi on March 24, 2022, conducted by the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India. 26 principals in India attended the ceremony in person, while 28 principals from Taiwan joined them online. Nineteen of the participating Indian schools are located in the capital, Delhi. The others are located in Kerala, Karnataka, and Punjab.
The International Education 2.0 for Primary and Secondary Schools (IE2.0) is an important program of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. Taiwan has actively implemented IE2.0 with many countries, including Australia, Japan, Korea, and the US. The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India is actively launching international educational programmes for primary and secondary schools in India. It is exploring working together on international exchange programs with more Indian schools, based on positive cooperation relations with Ramjas International School in R. K. Puram, Bluebells School International, Tagore International School in Vasant Vihar, and Delhi Public School Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.
Ms. Jyoti Arora, Principal of Mount Abu Public School, acknowledged the role of Mr. Li-ying Peters Chen, the Director of the Education Division, as the guiding force behind establishing these educational links between India and Taiwan. She said that she was privileged and honored to host this event, with 26 leading schools joining hands for a historic exchange program, and she hopes that the students will cultivate an awareness of the world that they will be leading in the near future through the International Education Program.
“The signing of the sister-school MOUs is to ensure students participating in the exchange programs will be exposed to richer cultural experiences, ethnic groups, religions and knowledge. We hope that students will broaden their horizons and educational experience through their participation in the programs. This is the first formal launch of this exchange program with schools in India, and I expect that through it more Taiwanese students will learn about India’s cultures and religions,” said Li-ying Peters Chen, Director of the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India.
Students of Mount Abu Public School gave a performance of singing and dancing as part of the ceremony, and after the signing, the principals in India had a discussion session with the principals in Taiwan who took part virtually.
The vision of IE2.0 is connecting with the world, and external mechanisms play a key part. All participating schools register through the International Exchange Window (IEW) website, a platform to facilitate schools finding exchange program partner schools of a suitable type with suitable interests, to establish and engage in international interaction. The focus will be on virtual meetings at the initial stage and have presentations and debates on selected topics. In the long run, participating schools will have opportunities to arrange international visits
