The Recipients of 2014 Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Awarded at TECO in Canada

The director of the Education Division, Mr. Cheng-Kie Cheng, presented the scholarship recipients with their award certificates at an orientation session arranged to give them a brief introduction to studying in Taiwan. This was a great chance for them to ask questions, exchange information, and discuss plans with each other.

Nowadays, globalization is affecting higher education all around the world. International exchanges and cooperation are a necessary component of all facets of higher education. Allowing young students from all over the world to interact with and better understand other cultures is an important step in helping them become global citizens. Given this, in 2004 the Executive Yuan announced the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship program, and the similar Taiwan Scholarship program, originally as a joint project of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the National Science Council.

The Huayu Enrichment Scholarships were established with the aim of bringing more international students who are interested in learning to speak Mandarin and read Chinese to Taiwan; promoting the learning of Mandarin and the traditional Chinese script; and increasing foreign students' understanding of Taiwan’s culture and historical development. It is hoped that it will help lead to long-term cooperative relationships between Taiwan and other countries, more economic, commercial, educational and cultural exchanges, and improve Taiwan's international visibility and global competitiveness.