55 Malaysian Students Awarded MOE Scholarships to Study in Taiwan
A total of 55 Malaysian students were awarded Taiwan Ministry of Education scholarships this year to undertake an academic degree program or a short-term Mandarin course in Taiwan. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia held a Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship award ceremony and pre-departure orientation for the recipients at Ibis Kuala Lumpur City Centre on July 25, 2022.
These Malaysian students will be furthering their studies in Taiwan starting from September this year. Among the 39 recipients of the Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship, 12 will be beginning an undergraduate degree, 21 will be beginning a master’s degree, and 6 will be beginning a doctoral degree program. The 16 Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipients will study Mandarin at language centers affiliated with universities in Taiwan. 15 of the 55 scholarship recipients are non-Chinese, of whom 14 will undertake Mandarin courses, and one student will be beginning a master’s degree programs.
Approximately 30 scholarship recipients attended the ceremony and received their award certificates from Anne Hung, Representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia. Representative Hung congratulated the scholarship awardees in her opening remarks and recognized their achievement. “Malaysian students have always performed really well. We have worked for a higher scholarship quota from the Ministry of Education and we’re very happy that the number of Taiwan Scholarships has increased from 20 in 2019 to 39 this year, and the number of Huayu Enrichment Scholarships has increased from 12 in 2019 to 16 this year.
This shows the great importance that Taiwan attaches to Malaysian students, and we hope that the awardees will take this opportunity to expand their knowledge and broaden their experience so they will be able to contribute to Malaysian society and help enhance the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and Malaysia in the future.”
She also pointed out that Taiwan’s competitiveness has rapidly increased in recent years. In the 2022 World Competitiveness Yearbook released by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Taiwan emerged as the world’s seventh most competitive economy. Taiwan’s overall ranking improved for the fourth consecutive year and its performance is extremely impressive. Taiwan’s higher education has a focus on scientific research and practical application of knowledge and this has been recognized by students from all over the world. In addition to offering an excellent academic environment, Taiwan’s cultural and social environment is another of the reasons that the younger generation wants to further their study there. The universities and colleges have an increasing number of courses and programs taught in English and many international students are interested in exploring either undertaking a full-time degree course or learning Mandarin in Taiwan, and the government’s efforts to establish a Muslim-friendly environment are another attractive feature.
Ms. Charlin Chang, Director of the Education Division, TECO in Malaysia added that apart from these two scholarships, another 4 Malaysian students received a scholarship under the 2022 Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Scholarship Program and they will begin master’s degree programs in Taiwan in this coming September. In addition, National Cheng Kung University has worked with the Education Division to provide non-Chinese students with generous new scholarships to study bachelor’s degree programs in Taiwan. Two students from the state of Kedah in northwest Malaysia have been awarded one of these new scholarships this year.
More than 80 students and their family members attended the ceremony, sharing the honor and the excitement. It also attracted media attention and was widely reported by the Malay, English, and Chinese media. Taiwan has gradually loosened the border restrictions, allowing international degree students, language students, and exchange students, and foreigners with short-term research awards to come to Taiwan. Scholarship and award recipients and other students are all advised to stay in close contact with their university and keep track of the latest regulations and announcements made by the Taiwanese government.