Over the past decade, Taiwan has been successful at attracting foreign students. The total number of foreign students grew from about 20,000 in 2005 to 110,000 last year, with as much as 86 percent of those students coming from Asian nations. According to last year’s data, Chinese students accounted for 38 percent — the largest proportion — of foreign students. Among Chinese students, about 80 percent stayed in Taiwan as short-term exchange students, instead of studying for a formal degree.
Apart from other overseas Chinese students whose mother tongue is Chinese, the combination of students from China, Hong Kong and Macau accounted for more than half of the total number of foreign students. In comparison, although the number of students from the 10 ASEAN states has been increasing yearly, their contribution to the total has been falling yearly, accounting for only about 24 percent of the total last year.
Taiwan’s low birthrate has had an impact on its higher education system, seriously affecting both the source of students and the operation of schools. In particular, private schools have come under huge pressure and therefore the recruitment of foreign students has become a major issue.
However, the provision of an international education entails more than just student recruitment. It also involves foreign-language training for local students; accumulation of international experience; exchange and interaction with foreign students; the creation of an environment that offers diverse cultural stimuli; planning and designing international courses; and transnational research cooperation, among other aspects.
If schools merely focus on attracting students from China, Hong Kong and Macau, they might be able to maintain their operations in the short term. However, if they fail to promote systematic internationalization in the long run, the question is would this really broaden Taiwanese students’ global vision and improve the level of their research and their international outlook?
With the rise of the Southeast Asian economies today, these countries are not what they used to be. Since countries from around the world are now actively competing for profits there, Taiwan cannot and should not stay aloof. Rather than looking at the government’s “new southbound policy” as a new idea, it would be better to look at it as a reflection of the current situation to deal with real problems, as well as offering an opportunity to rethink the policy direction of international education.
Southeast Asian countries are close to Taiwan, and there are frequent tourist and business exchanges between the region and Taiwan. At the moment, about 500,000 “new inhabitants” have been putting down roots here. Among elementary and junior-high school students, one in nine students is the child of an immigrant who has already become part of Taiwan. They live here and have integrated, which makes understanding and dialogue ever more important.
In the face of global competition, the development of higher education and cultivation of great talent are likely to be affected first. The government is placing the main focus on Southeast Asia, but what is its blueprint for overall international education development? How will it guide schools at all levels to carry out internationalization in a pragmatic manner? What is its direction and priority for an international education policy involving Southeast Asia? What is its global strategy? All these questions are testing the government’s planning and execution abilities.
Hsueh Chia-ming is a senior project manager at the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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