The latest data shows that there was a slight increase in the number of Taiwanese students studying abroad last year, bringing the total number to 60,839, the Ministry of Education said, adding that the number of Taiwanese students in the UK increased while those studying in the US decreased slightly.
More than 23,000 Taiwanese students went to the US for educational purposes last year, while about 2,800 went to Canada, data showed.
There were about 19,000 Taiwanese studying in Europe, most of whom were in the UK, data showed.
More than 7,000 Taiwanese choose to study abroad in Asia, with the majority choosing Japan, 7,200 going to Australia and 1,400 to New Zealand, data showed.
The overseas Taiwanese student population grew by 1,000, but the number of Taiwanese students in the UK rose from 4,600 to 16,000, it added.
Vice Minister of Education Chen Te-hua (陳德華) said that despite the seeming increase of overseas Taiwanese students in the UK, the US remained the main destination for academic purposes.
“The reason so many Taiwanese are choosing to study in the UK is due to recruitment by educational facilities there,” Chen said.
Ministry officials added that the majority of students went to the UK for higher education or to gain certificates in subjects such as art or jewelry design.
However, the Institute of International Education’s data showed that in contrast to the sudden boom in Taiwanese students heading to the UK, the US has seen a consecutive decline of Taiwanese students over the past six years.
China last year became the country with the most students in the US, with 235,000, or 30 percent of the total international student body in the US, data showed.
The numbers of students from Vietnam and Saudi Arabia going to the US were also on the rise, while Taiwanese declined by 20 percent, or 7,000 students, and Japanese decreased from 45,000 to 19,000, or nearly 60 percent, data showed.
When parents were asked which country they would send their children for educational purposes, one parent surnamed Yang (楊) said he would send his child to England.
“Studying abroad is not just about gaining a diploma, it is also about learning about foreign cultures and unfamiliar environments,” Yang said.
“Taiwan’s international outlook is in essence the same as the US,’ and children are less familiar with Europe and the UK,” Yang said, adding that by sending his child to the UK he would be opening new horizons for them.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
RSS