Fri, Sep 08, 2023 page1

• Plan to retain foreign students unveiled

  OUTSTANDING TALENT: Taiwan is to allocate NT$5.2 billion over five years to lure students from New Southbound Policy countries who would stay after graduation

  • By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
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  The government aims to have 210,000 international students stay on in Taiwan after graduation by 2030, following the approval of a strategic plan jointly proposed by the Ministry of Education and Overseas Community Affairs Council at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.

  The plan was proposed in accordance with the government’s population and immigration policy, and in response to calls from industries to attract outstanding international students and allow them to stay after graduation, the ministry said in its presentation.

  The plan, which builds on an existing program to attract students from Hong Kong, Macau and other countries for key industries, would also facilitate the circulation and exchange of talent through cooperation between universities in Taiwan and other countries, the ministry said.

  

  International students visit Lishan in Taichung in an undated photograph.

  Photo courtesy of the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area

  An estimated NT$5.2 billion (US$162.5 million) would be allocated over the next five years to boost the number of international students from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and other nations targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy, the ministry said, adding that 10 overseas enrollment centers would be established in these countries.

  The government would also streamline the procedures for foreign students to secure residency and permanent residency in Taiwan, the ministry said.

  Meanwhile, universities and businesses would jointly introduce new academic programs to attract international students, who can also apply for scholarships from the National Development Fund and internship stipends from businesses, the ministry said.

  The goal is to have 320,000 international students study in Taiwan by 2030, 210,000 of whom would stay after graduation for employment, it said.

  Attracting people who plan to study science, technology, engineering, mathematics, finance and semiconductors would be the top priority, it said.

  “These students are our target, because of the strong demand for talent in these specific disciplines,” Deputy Minister of Education Liu Mon-chi (劉孟奇) told a news briefing after the Cabinet meeting.

  The council is also planning to have 60,540 students of Taiwanese and Chinese descent stay in Taiwan by 2030, said Yu Cheng-tsai (尤正才), head of the Department of Overseas Compatriot Students Affairs.

  Department of Technological and Vocational Education Director Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠) told reporters after the briefing that the plan aims to raise the percentage of international students who stay in Taiwan after graduation to 70 percent from 40 to 50 percent.

  The plan would focus on attracting two categories of international students: those who are seeking dual degrees, and those who want to pursue a two-year college degree or two-year postbaccalaureate program.

  Students in the first category would spend two years studying in other countries and two years in Taiwan, and they would be awarded college degrees in both places, Yang said.

  Yang also addressed reports that some private universities had taken advantage of university-industry collaboration programs by forcing students to work overtime, leaving them little time to study.

  International students enrolled through the new plan should not have such problems, she said.

  “They should be able to focus on their two-year studies in Taiwan with the scholarships provided by the Taiwanese government, which include a one-way air ticket, visa application fees, and university tuition and fees. Corporations working with universities would offer a monthly stipend of at least NT$10,000 and other job opportunities. These should be sufficient to cover daily expenses,” Yang said.

  International students must repay scholarship funds if they choose not to stay in Taiwan for another two years after graduation, while private corporations might or might not ask students to return stipends, depending on their contracts with students, she said.

  “However, graduates would not be asked to return scholarship funds if the corporations they were working for decide to freeze hiring. Universities would help them find jobs in other companies,” she said.

  Compared with salaries that the international students would earn in their home countries, the incentives that are to be offered through the plan should be quite compelling for them to stay, she said.
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