To promote the New Southbound Policy which aims to strengthen the bilateral bonds through culture and education, the Head of Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Indonesia Ou Shu-Fen, presented the award certificates of scholarship to 79 Indonesian students who are going to study in Taiwan. She hopes that these students will have a better understanding of Taiwan and strengthen international communication and corporation.

The 79 Indonesian students were students of renowned public and private universities like the University of Indonesia, Bina Nusantara University, and that of nonstudent professionals as well. Among them, 40 students were awarded the “Taiwan Scholarship” for two to four years for undertaking degrees from bachelor to doctorate.

In addition, 32 people were awarded the “Huayu Enrichment Scholarship” for undertaking study of the Mandarin Chinese program in Taiwan, and 7 people received scholarships from the International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF).

Ou said in the interview that the scholarships provided by Taiwanese government in 2019 attracted applicants from various places in Indonesia. The majority of Indonesian students undertake study in subjects of engineering, communication, and business management since the fast-growing commercial development of Indonesia has a high demand in these sectors. Besides, medical science and long-term care are also major subjects to study.

Ou, Shu-Fen also remarked, the Taiwan-Indonesia cooperation project of “Three plus One” provides an opportunity for Indonesian teachers to get a doctoral degree. She said: “This project had been implemented for 5 years before it was suspended for 2 years. It is expected to receive more funds in response to the call of President Joko Widodo; thus, Taiwan and Indonesia are renewing the cooperation this year.”

This “Three plus One” Project, essentially allows an Indonesian lecturer in this project to study in Taiwan and receive a three year grant for tuition from the Indonesian government. The Taiwan government will grant the tuition fees for the final year, as an effort for the cultivation of local talent through helping Indonesian scholars to get a doctoral degree.

Ou, Shu-Fen estimated that the “Three plus One” project will accept doctorate level of training for 100 lecturers each year, though the project is still under preparation, and will be launched as soon as everything is all set.

Juniarti D. Lestari, Head of Sub-Directorate of Educator Qualifications, Directorate General of Science and Technology Resources and Higher Education, said to the reporter that it is grateful for the scholarships provided to Indonesian students every year by the Taiwan government. We look forward to the continued collaboration in education between Taiwan and Indonesia and more scholarship opportunities for supporting lecturers to undertake doctoral degrees.

Tirta Nugraha Mursitama, a professor of the Binus University who received support in Taiwan for the study project from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Indonesia, has visited Taiwan several times said, and was delighted to see 80 Indonesian students awarded scholarships supported by the Taiwan government, which is a milestone of the cooperation between the higher education of Taiwan and Indonesia.

Tirta stated: “I experienced the connectivity between academia and industry when I was in Taiwan, students there were able to get first-hand information and experience from the industry.”

Tedy Trisetio, a recipient of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, is currently a reporter at liputan6.com of Indonesia and is going to undertake six months of Mandarin Chinese program at the Soochow University in September. He said he is well informed of the New Southbound Policy, which comprised of establishing bonding in fields of culture and economy and thus believe it is necessary to have a better grasp of Mandarin Chinese to provide valuable intelligence to Indonesian people.

In addition to studying, Tedy is an enthusiast in photographing and imagery documenting, he is anticipating exploring more of his interests and expertise as well as the gastronomy, culture, and people during his stay in Taiwan.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office summarized the most favorable universities and colleges among Indonesian students are National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Asia University, and Taipei Medical University, etc.

(origin from:CNA)