Taiwan and Alabama Renew MOU Supporting Education Interaction
Taiwan and the State of Alabama have been working together on several initiatives that expand opportunities for academic mobility, language learning, and institutional partnerships, since the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, and the Alabama State Department of Education in 2022. This included supporting initiatives to strengthen higher education ties and K–12 Mandarin language learning programs.
The three parties renewed this initial MOU in a virtual signing ceremony held on November 7, 2025, reaffirming their shared commitment to contribute positively to the strengthening of education and learning-related connections between Taiwan and the State of Alabama.
The renewed MOU was signed by Dr. Yu-Jiuan Lee 李毓娟, Director General of the Ministry of Education’s Department of International and Cross-strait Education, Dr. James Purcell, Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, and Dr. Eric Mackey, State Superintendent of Education of the Alabama State Department of Education, and by Representative Alexander Yui from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. as a witness. Jared Lin 林主恩, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta and Meesoon Han, Executive Director of the Alabama International Education and Economic Partnership also attended the ceremony virtually.
After the signing Director-General Lee spoke about the long-term vision supporting educational collaboration between Taiwan and the State of Alabama, saying that this renewal of the MOU will continue cooperation that supports educational excellence and global engagement. She gave two examples of cooperative interaction already underway. Auburn University in Alabama and National Cheng Kung University are partners under the Huayu BEST Program. This provides language learning funding support for language teacher exchanges, online learning resources for the entire university community, Mandarin language proficiency tests, and opportunities for students to access Huayu BEST scholarships to come to Taiwan on an educational exchange. The second example was Taiwan’s TOCFL—the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language—being recognized by the Alabama State Department of Education as evidence of language proficiency, for senior secondary students to be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy.
Alexander Yui, Taiwan’s Representative in the US cited another example: four young people from Taiwan are currently participating in the Alabama International Education and Economic Partnership Program—an organization that helps support multilingual and multicultural education—under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative.
Maintaining and enhancing bilateral cooperation in educational matters will offer benefits to students, teachers, and local communities. The renewed MOU is aligned with the goals of the U.S.–Taiwan Education Initiative. Taiwan can, for example, provide Mandarin teaching resources for the students learning Mandarin at kindergartens, elementary and high schools, and universities.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Education looks forward to working closely with the State of Alabama to help nurture globally minded students, promote mutual understanding and youth mobility, and enhance education at all levels in the years ahead
