The Ministry of Education’s response to a letter advising parents not to send their children to study in Taiwan -Ministry of Education Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Ministry of Education’s response to a letter advising parents not to send their children to study in Taiwan

Date: 2018-01-12

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In November last year, Chinese media in Malaysia reported an anonymous letter intended to discourage parents from sending their children to study in Taiwan. On December 7, the Sin Chew Daily published a detailed response from the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities, Malaysia. It pointed out that the Malaysian students who choose to receive further education or training in Taiwan are highly popular with employers after they return. This was confirmed by principals of Chinese independent high schools and by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia.

Statistics indicate that Taiwan’s quality higher education is widely recognized by Malaysian students. The number of students from Malaysia studying in Taiwan’s universities and colleges has been growing steadily. There were 16,051 in the 2016 academic year, and the number increased to 17,500 by the end of the first semester of the current academic year.

The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), and the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT) signed a Joint Statement of Confidence on Each Other's Quality Assurance Outcomes in 2012. This has facilitated degrees issued by universities in Taiwan being recognized in Malaysia, and the MOE has well-organized mechanisms in place to guarantee a quality education and safeguard the rights of each international student.

There are 24 universities in Taiwan among the top 200 universities in Asia, and Taiwan’s higher education system is ranked in 4th position by the OECD in its overall world rankings of higher education environments. The OECD ranks Taiwan’s overall higher education quality in 11th place in the world.

Dr. Leehter Yao, Political Deputy Education Minister, pointed out that Taiwan’s government has been strongly promoting the New Southbound Policy since 2016. In conjunction with this policy, the MOE has implemented various measures to strengthen links between Taiwan and Malaysia. It has increased the number of scholarships available and is subsidizing universities and colleges in Taiwan to offer a range of different industry-academia cooperative technical education programs, to encourage more Malaysian students to study in Taiwan.