The number of Taiwanese senior-high school graduates pursuing further studies abroad increased by more than 20 percent from about 32,000 people in 2011 to more than 40,000 people in 2017, the latest data from the Ministry of Education showed.
Due to the nation’s declining birthrate, the number of senior-high school graduates dropped from about 400,000 people in 2011 to 350,000 people in 2017 and further down to about 330,000 people last year, the data showed.
The number of senior-high school graduates pursuing higher education in China increased from 1,433 people in 2011 to 2,567 people in 2017, rising by about 80 percent, but accounting for less than 6 percent of the total number of those studying abroad, which shows that China does not attract Taiwanese students as much as English-speaking countries do.
Photo copied by Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
However, the increasing number of high-school graduates studying abroad poses a threat to the nation’s higher education system.
While Taiwanese universities still have a competitive advantage, the ministry this year is to grant an additional NT$1.3 billion (US$42.09 million) to 10 universities, including National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University, to enhance their international competitiveness, Department of Higher Education Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said.
Ministry data showed that among the more than 30,000 senior-high school graduates studying abroad every year, the US was the most favored destination, followed by Japan, Australia and the UK.
In 2017, among the 40,009 senior-high school graduates who went on to study overseas, 13,887 people chose the US; 5,806 people picked Australia; 5,422 people went to Japan; and 2,567 people selected China, similar to the number that went to Canada, 2,860 people, the data showed.
The data also showed that among the list of senior-high schools whose students went on to study abroad after graduating in 2017, six of the top 10 schools were private schools.
Despite the media hype that Taiwanese students are increasingly choosing China for further studies, the data showed that a majority are still opting for the US or European nations, Chu said.
Boosting the competitive advantages of Taiwanese universities is the best way to keep senior-high school graduates in Taiwan, Chu said, adding that according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018 published by the World Economic Forum, Taiwan’s higher education and training ranked 17th in the world, while China only ranked 47th.
Aside from the additional subsidy to bolster universities’ competitiveness, the ministry is also cooperating with universities to offer international student exchanges, short-term programs, conferences and internship opportunities to attract foreign students and researchers to facilitate exchanges with students and teachers in Taiwan.
Taiwanese universities still offer students a chance to cultivate a global perspective and a promising future, Chu said.
Students opting to go to China should be aware of the risks that the Mainland Affairs Council has mentioned, because while Taiwan’s education environment allows freedom of speech and unlimited research topics, students in China have limited freedom of speech and expression in class or on the Internet, he said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon