Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Lio Mon-Chi visits New Jersey Department of Education & Columbia University to extend Taiwan-US educational cooperation
In early March, 2024, Political Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Lio Mon-Chi 劉孟奇led a Ministry of Education delegation of officials from the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education—acting Director-General Dr. Lee Yen-Yi 李彥儀, and First Education Secretary Liao Yi-Ken 廖苡亘—and Chu Jun-Zhang 朱俊彰, acting Director-General of the Higher Education Department, to the United States to continue the expansion of bilateral educational cooperation between Taiwan and various states there. This included the State of New Jersey.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Education and the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to collaborate on educational initiatives that had already been signed in New Jersey was brought to Taiwan by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy during a visit to Taiwan in October 2023. It was then signed by Dr. Lee Yen-Yi, thereby finalizing it, and Governor Murphy signed each copy as a witness. Key aspects of the MOU include boosting joint efforts in language education and STEM education, in accordance with the U.S.–Taiwan Education Initiative signed in 2020, and promoting collaborative projects and academic exchanges between their respective educators and educational institutions. Fifteen elementary and secondary schools in New Jersey have already established sister-school relationships with elementary and secondary schools in Taiwan with which they interact. This MOU provides a sound basis to further expand exchanges and collaboration between education institutions at all levels.
On March 7, the delegation, together with Dr. Yang Min-Ling 楊敏玲, Director of the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, had a specially arranged visit to Village Elementary School in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, a school which implements New Jersey’s bilingual immersion education program, and then visited the New Jersey Department of Education. They received a warm welcome from Kevin Dehmer, the newly appointed Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Chief of Staff Laura Console, Assistant Commissioner Dr. Jorden Schiff, and other officials.
Deputy Minister Lio expressed his pleasure that the MOU signed last year has provided a solid foundation for cooperation between Taiwan and the NJDOE and he thanked the NJDOE for issuing a Broadcast memo to its school districts on February 14, 2024 giving details of practical ways to interact. He also told the NJDOE that he was deeply impressed by the effectiveness of Chinese immersion education in primary and secondary schools in New Jersey, and he pledged Ministry of Education assistance to New Jersey to recruit high-quality Chinese language teachers to teach in local schools. The Ministry will provide resources and assistance in accordance with the needs of New Jersey school public districts and looks forward to more mutually beneficial interactions and exchanges between primary and secondary schools in New Jersey and Taiwan, and enhanced bilateral language exchange activities.
On the following day, March 8, the delegation from Taiwan and Education Division Director Dr. Yang attended a ceremony for the signing of a renewed memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and Columbia University to continue the Taiwan Columbia Scholarship program. The Taiwan Columbia Scholarship program was established in 2014 to encourage Taiwanese students to undertake a PhD at Columbia University. It supports up to five Taiwanese Ph.D. students each year, with the Ministry and Columbia sharing the costs of tuition, other academic fees, and a stipend.
The Ministry of Education currently has 17 similar agreements with universities that rank among the top one hundred in the world to encourage Taiwanese students to undertake doctoral degrees at top universities worldwide. At the time that the Taiwan Columbia Scholarship program was established, it was the first such PhD scholarship program with an Ivy League school, making it all the more significant.
Dr. Lee Yen-Yi, acting Director-General of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Education and Prof. Dennis Mitchell, Interim Provost at Columbia University, signed the renewal of the MOU to continue the Taiwan Columbia Scholarship for a further three years. The fields of study in which the scholarships can now be utilized have expanded from the original Arts, Sciences and Engineering Schools to include the Mailman School of Public Health allowing outstanding Taiwanese students to pursue a wider range of doctoral degrees there. Deputy Minister Lio said that there were currently more than 200 Taiwanese students at Columbia University, and that alumni of Columbia University in Taiwan play an important role in promoting democracy and technological development.
The Ministry will continue to actively promote bilateral education cooperation projects at all levels and increase exchanges, and the benefits of cooperation as it implements the Taiwan-US Education Initiative and its three-year strategic plan.
