Indonesia continues sending college graduates to study in Taiwan: MOE

Taipei, June 9 (CNA) Taiwan and Indonesia have maintained a trial program to encourage Indonesian junior college graduates to study in two-year institutes of technology in Taiwan, after Jakarta stopped issuing permits for high school graduates to study here, Taiwan's Ministry of Education (MOE) said Sunday.

Under the trial program, which began in the 2018 academic year that started in September, the Indonesian government provides incentives for students pursuing advanced studies in Taiwan.

They include one-way air tickets and living costs of NT$20,000 (US$637) for the two-year period, according to Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠), director of the MOE's Technological and Vocational Education Department.

Meanwhile, however, Indonesia decided to dissuade high school graduates from seeking to study at four-year institutes of technology in Taiwan under an internship-study program, following media reports that some of such students have been forced by education brokers to work illegally in factories.

Considering that high school graduates are still young and can have trouble adapting to the culture and the living environment in Taiwan, the Indonesian government decided not to issue permits for Indonesian students to study in four-year technical programs in Taiwan from the second semester of the last school year, Yang said.

Instead, the Indonesian government now selects students with a diploma from junior college or those who have completed a two-year course of study in university or college in Indonesia to study in two-year technical programs in universities or colleges in Taiwan, according to Yang.

There are a number of vocational and technological colleges and universities in Indonesia, Yang noted.

Under the trial program, four classes have been opened at four schools in Taiwan, with 88 Indonesian students enrolled, according to Yang.

To become eligible to attend the program, students must have completed a two-year or three-year course of study in an Indonesian university or college, must have been selected by the government and must have passed an admission interview by the prospective Taiwanese school, Yang said.

No third-party brokerage agencies are allowed to interfere in the recruitment process, she emphasized.

In addition to the subsidies provided to them, Indonesian students who enroll in the program can study for the first three semesters but are also allowed to legally work part-time for a maximum 20 hours per week. In the fourth semester, they will have internships arranged for them, Yang added.

According to the schools covered in the trial program, the Indonesian students have good English proficiency and all the courses in the program can be taught in English, Yang said.

The ministry wants to expand the program, and schools willing to offer scholarships can apply to the ministry for permission to open classes for Indonesian students.