Taiwan emerges as new study-abroad choice for non-Chinese Malaysians

Kuala Lumpur, July 30 (CNA) Over 100 Malaysian students who received scholarships from Taiwan to study there attended a pre-departure briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, showcasing Taiwan as the latest education destination of choice among non-ethnic Chinese students from the Southeast Asian country.

This year, 96 students from Malaysia received a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship from Taiwan's Ministry of Education (MOE) to study Mandarin in various language centers at universities in Taiwan.

The MOE also awarded the Taiwan Scholarship to 37 recipients seeking to pursue postgraduate degrees.

In addition, Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) also provided scholarships to four individuals to attend English-language graduate programs in Taiwan.

According to the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia, 137 was a record number of scholarships issued to Malaysian students in a single year.

Moreover, of the 137 students, 95 were Malay or Indian, while the remaining 42 were ethnic Chinese Malaysians.

At the briefing held in Kuala Lumpur's Kuen Cheng High School, several talked to CNA on why they chose Taiwan.

Darshini Murugan, who is of Indian descent, said that she chose Taiwan to study Mandarin because the nation provides a positive language-learning environment.

Nurul Amirah Syahirah, who is Malay, said she chose Taiwan to pursue her master's degree after learning that Taiwan's psychology programs have higher rankings to those in her own country.

Another contributing factor was Taiwan's religious freedom, she said.

As a practicing Muslim, Nurul explained that she was made aware of the existence of mosques in Taiwan, along with an increasing number of halal-friendly dietary choices.

Meanwhile, another Malay student, Dhiya Amyra Abdul Razak, said she has fond memories of her trips to Taipei and Kaohsiung last year, prior to leaving for Taichung's Feng Chia University to attend a three-month Mandarin program.

Besides Taiwan's academic quality and religious freedom, Taiwan's tech industry also served as another draw for Malaysian students.

Engineering and computer science student Wong Zyi Kit (王梓杰) said he was attracted to Taiwan as he believes the nation has the best schools for him to pursue a future in the semiconductor industry.

As a man of Chinese ethnicity, Wong also looks forward to experiencing familiar foods and culture with subtle differences from those he grew up with.

Due to historical linguistic and cultural ties, most Malaysian students who got scholarships to study in Taiwan in the past were mainly of Chinese descent.

With around 70 percent of the recipients this year coming from Malaysia's two non-Chinese ethnicities, TECO said that the updated statistics showcase Taiwan as a new destination for non-Chinese Malaysian students to study abroad, both for Mandarin language learning and to pursue a degree.