New Southbound Industry-Academia Collaboration Program Welcomes Foreign Students for “2+i Two Year Program”
The Ministry of Education’s “New Southbound Industry-Academia Collaboration Programs (IACP)”, launched in 2018 recruited 18-year-old international high school graduates to study a bachelor’s degree program in Taiwan. To better meet the needs, the Indonesian government now recommends outstanding 20-year-old three-year college graduates to study in Taiwan with full tuition fee waivers starting from the second semester of 2018 as a trial run. It aims to nurture talents for the Taiwanese enterprises and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Taiwan.
Ms. Yang Yu-Hui, the Director-General of the Department of Technological and Vocational Education, Ministry of Education (MOE) stated that some of the IACP’s students have culture shocks and difficulties in getting used to life in Taiwan. The MOE tries to solve above problem and provide foreign students with better environment along with the universities and colleagues.
The MOE found out that the 20-year-old graduates from Indonesia’s 2-year and 3-year colleges are more matured, more adaptive to new culture and have stronger motives to study aboard compared to 18-year-old high school graduates. Therefore, the both sides reached an agreement after discussions on the launch of the ''2+i Two-year Program''. Four programs in 4 Taiwanese universities have recruited students from Indonesia in the second semester of 2018.
Director-General Yang also stated that students in the 2-year-program were selected by the Indonesian government while the tuition fees are waived by Taiwan’s universities of technology. The trial run showed that these recommended students were highly motivated to learn and had better performances. The new program is of a great help to the recruitment of overseas students and improve the relationship between the two sides.
Director-General Yang believes that the model can be applied to other Southeast Asian countries in the future if the results constantly prove to be effective. The MOE is also currently working with the Vietnamese government to establish similar programs for further educational cooperation. It is hoped that in the future, these students will be the help of Taiwan in the long run, whether they choose to work in Taiwan or return to their home countries.
Source- Liberty Times Net/ Reporter. 吳柏軒