An aim of the New Southbound Policy advocated by Taiwan’s government is to expand industrial, educational, cultural and agricultural exchanges between Taiwan and countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and it is anticipated that Myanmar and Taiwan will develop and strengthen closer bilateral trade relations in the near future. This will open up great career opportunities for students from both countries who are studying for a profession, or studying language and culture in each other’s country. The Ministry of Education awarded Taiwan Scholarships to students in Myanmar for the first time in 2017. These will provide full scholarship benefits for five excellent young students to study for a higher degree in Taiwan.

Myanmar is a country rich in abundant natural resources and culture, with a young population. It has a rapidly developing democracy and economy, and Myanmar is seen as having great potential for investors to grow business, and for foreign educational institutions to help to educate the workers to meet the strong demands from its private sector. The Fairs provided a great opportunity for Myanmar students and their parents to learn about Taiwan’s higher education system and how good Taiwanese universities are. We hope that more Myanmar students will come to Taiwan to learn and benefit from receiving a quality education and interacting with Taiwan’s friendly people.

The quality of Taiwan’s higher education has received world-class affirmation, and it holds a leading position in Asia. In 2016, Times Higher Education ranked five universities in Taiwan in the top 500 universities worldwide, and nine universities in Taiwan in the best 100 universities in Asia. This may explain why so many students in Myanmar went to the Taiwan Higher Education Fairs to learn about the opportunities that Taiwan can provide for their education and for future careers.