Taiwan to assist and counsel Nauruan students after severance of ties

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday instructed schools in which 52 Nauruan students are enrolled to provide them with any necessary care and counseling after the two countries severed official diplomatic ties earlier in the day.

According to the latest statistics compiled by the ministry, there are currently 52 Nauruan students in Taiwan, including 21 studying for a diploma and 31 learning Mandarin.

Of those students, 30 are currently receiving scholarships awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the MOE said it will respect MOFA's decision on whether to continue granting those students scholarships.

No Taiwanese students are studying in Nauru, according to the ministry.

The MOE added that it will contact schools with Nauruan students to remind them to provide the students with care and counseling.

Ming Chuan University in Taipei has eight Nauruan degree students and seven students enrolled in its Mandarin Studies and Culture Center.

Lynne Lee (李藍瑜), vice president of international affairs at Ming Chuan University, told CNA that the school will ask whether the Nauruan students would like to continue studying in Taiwan.

Citing past experiences of what happens when official ties are severed, Lee told CNA that sometimes countries provide individuals with student loans to help them finish their studies back home, or they transfer them to a third country.

If they choose to stay, Ming Chuan will assess whether it can offer them any assistance, Lee said.

Andy Liou (劉艾華), secretary-general of Tamkang University in New Taipei, said the school currently has five Nauruan students and all of them are receiving a MOFA Taiwan Scholarship.

If MOFA stops scholarship payments as a result of the ending of official ties, Tamkang will ask the students whether they wish to stay in Taiwan and finish their studies, Liou said.

In a written response to CNA's query, Tunghai University in Taichung said it has five Nauruan students currently receiving a MOFA Taiwan Scholarship.

School administrators will contact each of them individually to find out whether they want to continue their studies, or whether the Nauruan government has contacted them about their education.

It will also contact the relevant agency to find out whether the MOE's Huayu Enrichment Scholarship will be affected by the severance of diplomatic ties, Tunghai added.