Restrictions on the application for the International Industrial Talents Education Special Program (INTENSE Program) have been relaxed to attract more international students, with the goal of recruiting 1,092 students for the spring semester next year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday.
The ministry and the National Development Council implemented the INTENSE Program this academic year to increase international student enrollment and employment in Taiwan.
The ministry last month proposed a bill to allow international students in their third or fourth year of college in Taiwan to participate in the program without transferring to a new class, and to extend the deadline for international students to pass the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL).
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Forty classes from 20 universities under the program were launched for the autumn semester this year, with 366 students given a scholarship, the ministry said.
Most of the students were from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, and more students are to arrive, it said, adding that the number of classes and students would be finalized by the end of this month.
The ministry said it has approved 62 classes from 22 schools for the spring semester next year, which are projected to enroll 1,092 students of any nationality.
Recruitment has begun and would be finalized by late January, it said, adding that plans for the autumn semester next year are under review.
Students applying for Chinese-taught classes must have a TOCFL level 2 or above — equivalent to the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — in listening and reading before enrolling in the program, as well as a B1 level Chinese language proficiency or above during their second year in school, the ministry said.
Students applying for English-taught classes must have a B1 level of CEFR and a Level 2 or above for TOCFL in listening and reading during their second year in school, it said.
To maintain teaching quality, each class is limited to a maximum of 30 students and cannot be incorporated into a local student class, the ministry said.
Classes of different departments or institutes, education systems or courses may not be combined, except for graduate or dual-degree classes, which may be combined with a domestic student class, it said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS