Brunei Scholarship Recipient Brings Some of Taiwan Back Home
▲Rajazre Etim (center) and TECO Brunei head Andrew Lee (left). Photo courtesy of TECO Brunei
A Taiwan Scholarship recipient from Brunei recently reflected on his time in Taiwan, saying he came away impressed by Taiwan's openness and adaptation to globalization and found those helpful after he returned home.
Rajazre Etim was chosen as the Taiwan Scholarship awardee in 2018 and arrived in Taiwan in September that year to study at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei in the Department of Industrial Management.
He returned to Brunei earlier this year after obtaining a Master of Business Administration in June 2020, and was hired recently by a Taiwanese aquaculture company there on the recommendation of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the country.
Rajazre was accepted as the first Malay member of the Taiwan Graduates Association of Brunei Darussalam, whose main task is to promote education exchanges between Taiwan and Brunei.
Asked by CNA in a written interview what were some valuable things he learned in Taiwan that contributed to his personal growth, Rajazre replied "globalization" and "diversity."
"What amazed me is Taiwan's adaptation to globalization and society's awareness towards diversity and openness policies. The society is willing to embrace changes and improve conditions without eliminating traditional values," he said.
"Living in Taiwan has made me more receptive towards the idea of globalization and diversity. I hope I can maintain these harmonious values and practices in my daily life," he said.
He recalled attending the celebration of Confucius' 2570th birthday in 2019 in Taipei and was amazed to see more than 2000 years of tradition still being practiced.
In terms of the study environment, Rajazre said Taiwan is one of the best places to learn and develop skills, especially in the fields of agriculture, science, and technology.
He also appreciated that most of his professors had both a strong academic background and field experience.
According to a statement from TECO Brunei, Rajazre learned about Taiwan several years ago from his older brother, who attended an international meeting in Taiwan at the time.
"Mr. Rajazre is a good example of Taiwan's high-quality education in cultivating Brunei's youth," Taiwan's top envoy in Brunei Andrew Lee (李憲章) told CNA in a phone interview.
"TECO in Brunei will continue to encourage more Brunei students to pursue advanced study in Taiwan and assist those graduates from Taiwan to develop their careers upon their return to Brunei," he said.
(By Emerson Lim)
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