For centuries the Netherlands has had an attitude of openness towards the rest of the world, not only in business, but also in social life and culture. This makes it ideally suited for people who seek to enrich their knowledge through study abroad. No matter where you come from, this open minded and safe society will offer you hospitality in both communication and work.
The Netherlands is a small country with a high level of national solidarity. It has the best economic climate in Europe. The average income per capita ranks among the highest in the world. The society is stable. The country enjoys a mild climate and a beautiful natural environment.
With the exception of the English-speaking countries of Europe, the Netherlands is the country where English is most widely used. About 95 percent of Dutch people speak English. It is almost the same as living and learning in an English-speaking country. The Netherlands is the first non-English-speaking country to offer courses taught in English. There are now approximately 700 courses conducted entirely in English, so students have a wide choice.
In the Netherlands, teachers are not there merely to pass on knowledge. Their aim instead is to help young people to discover knowledge themselves, and to form their own well-founded judgments regarding that knowledge.
To do this a person must be able to communicate with other peoples and cultures, which is why learning foreign languages is so important not only in secondary schools but also in the final years of primary school. Every person in the Netherlands who has gone beyond primary school - and that is nearly everyone - has passed state exams in English and probably another foreign language as well.
Many Dutch people enroll in the growing number of courses and study programs that are taught in English alongside the regular higher education conducted in Dutch.
The quality of teaching in Dutch higher education institutions is generally high. A system of quality assurance similar to the systems used by private corporations is used to measure the effects of learning. Dutch certificates are accepted internationally.
The tuition fees for courses conducted in English are lower than those in other English-speaking countries (including the US). Qualified Taiwan students can in certain cases obtain a scholarship. Information can be obtained from the Education Section of the NTIO.
Dutch higher education has a good reputation partly because of its national regulations and its system of quality assurance. The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for legislation, while the Ministries of Agriculture and Health also play an important role in guaranteeing the quality of teaching. All courses must be assessed by committees of independent experts. Degrees are protected by law and accepted internationally.
There are close links between the world of work and the needs of society on the one hand, and higher education and research on the other. The government spends nearly 2.5 billion Euros (US$2.7 billion) a year supporting fundamental research, which is conducted by universities, research institutes and private enterprises. This is 160 Euros (US$175) per head of population.
More information about studying in the Netherlands can be found on the special website: www.neso-taipei.org.tw
Positioning
The positioning of Dutch higher education on international markets became a major priority in September 1999 with the publication of a policy paper entitled 'Knowledge: give and take.' In the paper the Netherlands' Ministry of Education, Culture and Science described two instruments to serve this aim.
NESOs in support of Dutch higher education were established in June 2001 in Beijing (China) and Taipei (Taiwan), and a sizeable scholarship program has been created for students from these countries. The NESOs mark the first important step towards making a name in these countries for Dutch higher education.
Nuffic's 50th Anniversary Conference on The global higher education market.
The Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) has celebrated its 50th anniversary this year by organizing an international higher education conference in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 19 March 2002.
With the emergence of a global higher education market, the conference provided a forum to discuss many things that are changing in the roles played by universities, governments and private companies. We still have only a hint of all the implications. Nevertheless, governments and universities will be asked in the coming months to take a position on the issue of free trade in education services. Already some countries have made commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. Positions will also have to be taken on the further harmonization of European higher education.
Y.C. Lo scholarship
Jointly established by Philips Taiwan and the Netherlands Trade & Investment Office in April 2000, the Y.C. Lo Scholarship for postgraduate studies in the Netherlands wants to support Taiwan's future leaders. The scholarship gives Taiwan students the opportunity to develop their skills at Dutch universities and aims to forge lasting ties between Taiwan and the Netherlands.
For the third year in succession, the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office has further expanded the scholarship program under the honorary chairmanship of Y.C. Lo, former president and CEO of Philips Taiwan and former board member of Philips Electronics in the Netherlands.
Participants include Dutch universities but also Dutch companies with substantial interests in Taiwan like Philips, ASML and ING. From the side of Dutch higher education institutions, we are glad to announce that among these awards, 13 scholars will be jointly funded by Leiden University, Rotterdam School of Management and Delft University of Technology to various subjects in the academic year 2002/2003.
We believe that the scholarship can help strengthen human resources of the highest levels and it is also the best way of showing our commitment to Taiwan's society. This year, we are grateful for the active sponsorship of Dutch companies and universities, and we hope to invite more local Taiwanese companies to join us next year. "We want to develop more outstanding students as a way of returning to our society what it has given to us", says Lo.
We hope that the scholarship scheme will help to forge the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial partnership between the Netherlands and successful scholarship holders from Taiwan.
Education Fair
The first European Higher Education Fair in Taiwan was held at New York New York Exhibition Hall in Taipei on March 23 to 24, 2002. Since Taiwan has inadequate information on education in Europe, the fair aimed to promote higher education in Europe as well as its features and benefits to attract more students to study in Europe.
The fair was jointly organized by the French Institute, the German Institute, and the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office together with the Netherlands Education Support Office in Taipei. Nearly 30 organizations from France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Hungary were participating in the fair.
The different participating organizations from the European Union have collaborated and pooled resources together to introduce Europe's educational developments to students in Taiwan. Representatives from different European universities visited Taiwan to provide information on education in Europe and also personally answered inquiries from the students.
By organizing such a joint event, the organizers hope to establish a stronger relationship with Taiwan, and promote education exchange between Taiwan and the different European countries. The Fair has successfully given the students in Taiwan a better understanding of education in Europe and attracted more than 6,000 students.
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