A trial program to encourage Indonesian junior college graduates to enroll in two-year technology programs in Taiwan would continue, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Sunday.
The Indonesian government provides incentives to students pursuing advanced studies in Taiwan under the program, which began in September last year, the ministry said.
Incentives include one-way airplane tickets and a NT$20,000 stipend, Technological and Vocational Education Department Director Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠) said.
Indonesia has stopped issuing permits to high-school graduates who want to study in four-year technology programs in Taiwan under an internship-study program, following media reports that some students were forced by brokers to work illegally in factories.
Considering that high-school graduates might have trouble adapting to the culture and living environment in Taiwan, the Indonesian government stopped issuing the permits from the second semester of the previous school year, Yang said.
There are a number of vocational and technological colleges and universities in Indonesia, she said.
Under the trial program, four classes have been opened at four schools in Taiwan, with 88 Indonesian students enrolled, Yang said.
Students who want to attend the program need to have graduated from a two or three-year program at an Indonesian institute, need to be selected by the government and must pass an interview by the Taiwanese school, Yang said.
No third-party brokers are allowed to interfere in the recruitment process, she added.
In addition to the subsidies provided to them, the students are allowed to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week during the first three semesters, Yang said.
They would have internships arranged for them in the fourth semester, she said.
The students have good English-language skills, Yang said, adding that all the courses in the program are taught in English.
The ministry wants to expand the program, and institutes willing to offer scholarships can apply to the ministry for permission to open classes for Indonesian students, she said.
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