60 students honored with Presidential Education Award this year

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) A total of 60 students won this year's Presidential Education Award, which recognizes students who managed to thrive and excel under difficult circumstances, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Thursday.

Among them was Lin Yu-su (林育夙) from Penghu County, who was born without arms, the MOE said in a news release.

Lin began learning to swim to improve his scoliosis at a young age, and subsequently went on to win several medals, including five gold, at the national sporting games for athletes with disabilities, the ministry said.

Besides being an accomplished swimmer, his other passion is painting, where he mastered the art by first learning how to hold a pen with his foot at a young age.

Over time, Lin slowly progressed from scribbling to knowing how to paint with a toothbrush, and even held a solo art exhibition in Penghu when he was in sixth grade, the MOE said.

Lin, who is currently a university student, has proven to society that people with disabilities can shine, not only on an athletic level, but also artistically, according to the education ministry.

The announcement on Thursday marked Lin's second Presidential Education Award, with the last time being in 2015.

Meanwhile, another notable recipient was Tsai Yi-lin (蔡奕琳), who was diagnosed as having achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that results in dwarfism, at a young age.

Currently also a university student, Tsai became an accomplished badminton player later in life and has won numerous medals in various international tournaments, including a silver in the women's doubles SH6 final at the Asian Paralympic Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, the MOE said.

In the release, she was quoted as saying that regardless of identity, everyone can shine in their own way as long as they persevere.

According to the MOE, the 2025 Presidential Education Award recipients were selected from a shortlist of 352 students around Taiwan's elementary schools, junior and senior high schools and universities. The awards will be presented to the winners at the Presidential Office in Taipei in a ceremony on July 4.

(Chen Chih-chung and Ko Lin)Enditem/ASG