Program Origin

The trend of globalization has affected higher education all around the world. International exchanges and cooperation are needed in all facets of higher education, including educational theory and pedagogy, resources, innovation and cultivation of talent. Allowing young students from all over the world to understand and have exchanges with other cultures is an important step in turning our young scholars into global citizens. Exchanges between and among distinguished young people around the world will open up the eyes of young exchange students to new cultures. The countries who receive or admit these exchange students will also be stimulated and revitalized by them; their educational environments will become more diverse, holistic, universal in outlook. Therefore, the countries participating in exchange programs can often benefit from a win-win cooperative relationship.

Faced with this new trend of international cooperation and educational exchange, Taiwan must also assume its international responsibility and take part. In 2004, the Executive Yuan announced the "Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program." This joint project of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Science and Technology is concerned with the areas of education, diplomacy, economics, and academic innovation. ( Ministry of Economic Affairs has stopped offering scholarships since 2010 ; Ministry of Science and Technology has stopped offering scholarships since 2019.)

The goals of the Taiwan Scholarship are to bring to Taiwan foreign students with potential who are interested in the Mandarin language, to promote Mandarin and traditional Chinese writing, and to increase foreign students' understanding of the culture and historical development of Taiwan. It is hoped that cultivating young overseas talent will establish a long-term cooperative relationship between Taiwan and other countries, promote economic, commercial, educational and cultural exchanges, and improve Taiwan's global competitiveness and international visibility.

3. Establishment of the Scholarship Office

The promotion of Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program involves many aspects, ranging from applying for the scholarship, distribution of funds to the recipients, provision of orientation and counseling services, implementation of recipient surveys, and reporting on the impact of the project all require comprehensive planning and promotion. There are staffs in local universities responsible for handling international affairs, such as planning for the arrival of scholarship students in Taiwan, arranging orientation and counseling services for the students, and promoting exchanges between foreign and local students. These staffs need systematically training so that they would have the necessary professional knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the program. To achieve the above objectives, Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Office was established. This office is responsible for contacting the relevant ministries, overseas offices, universities and recipients of this scholarship, as well as ensuring that all work related to the scholarship goes smoothly, and that the scholarship is having its desired effect.