Afiqah Hanis Binti Hanifah (left), a Taiwan Scholarship recipient, and Chinnampat Martin Gatijin (right), a HES Scholarship recipient.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing serious disruptions to international exchanges, but Taiwan has successfully kept the COVID-19 pandemic under control, winning international acclaim and that the Ministry of Education in Taiwan can provide a safe study environment for local and international students alike. The prime focus of higher education in Taiwan is to prepare the students with broad international views, professional knowledge, and a handful of experience in the industry. The Education Division of TECO Malaysia encourages more Malaysian students to pursue their studies in Taiwan and this year the Ministry of Education increased the number of scholarships available to Malaysian students, attracting more applicants. 

As a result, a total of 45 Malaysian students have been awarded a Ministry of Education scholarship: 38 were awarded a Taiwan Scholarship to begin an academic degree program, and seven were awarded a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship to study Mandarin in Taiwan for six months. 

The number of MOE Taiwan Scholarship recipients, 38, is a new high, and it includes two of the eight scholarship winners who don’t have a Chinese family background. Twenty one will begin an undergraduate program, fourteen a master’s degree program, and three are undertaking a doctorate program.

Anne Hung, the Representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia spoke at the award ceremony and assured the scholarship winners that Taiwan is absolutely the best choice for people like them to further their studies. It offers a safe environment and first-class education system together with a rich culture and business competitiveness. She pointed out that Taiwan ranks third among the Asian countries in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020 of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). 

She urged the students to make really good use of the opportunity to expand their knowledge and broaden their experience while they’re in Taiwan, so that in the future, they can contribute to Malaysian society and help enhance bilateral relations between Taiwan and Malaysia. 

Charlin Chang, the director of the Education Division of TECO congratulated the awardees on behalf of the Ministry and wished them all a productive and fun learning journey in Taiwan. She regularly encourages Malaysian students who don’t have a Chinese family background to apply for the programs in Taiwan’s universities, as well as scholarships, and she pointed out that universities and tertiary colleges in Taiwan are now offering more courses and programs in various fields that are taught in English, and many also offer scholarships and bursaries. Moreover, Taiwan and Malaysia signed a bilateral academic recognition agreement in 2012.