The Ministry of Education is to ask universities to provide additional help and subsidies to students from Honduras, following reports that students from the Central American county were awaiting promised funds from their government, a year after the nations severed diplomatic ties.
After Tegucigalpa in March last year announced the end of ties with Taipei, the Taiwanese government stopped providing scholarships for Honduran students, as well as other assistance for the country.
The Honduran government, which pledged to provide subsidies before Feb. 29 to its students in Taiwan, has failed to transfer the funds, local news reports said.
Photo: AFP
The Ministry of Education on Saturday said it would ask universities to provide additional assistance, including counseling, to the Honduran students, who can apply for scholarships, emergency relief funds, fee exemptions or to be placed on installment payment plans, based on school regulations.
Universities can also assist in arranging part-time work for the students, the ministry said.
A total of 285 students from Honduras are studying in Taiwan this academic year — 165 pursuing formal degrees, one overseas Chinese student, 118 Mandarin learners and one exchange student, ministry data showed.
Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship data showed that 104 Hondurans received the Taiwan Scholarship, with 64 of them planning to continue studying in Taiwan.
However, the ministry said that due to fluctuations in student enrollment, it lacks precise data from each school.
Out of the 26 schools with Honduran students, 20 are willing to provide scholarships and tuition deductions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry has extended Honduran students’ return flight tickets until their graduation.
National Taiwan University Office of International Affairs vice president Yuan Hsiao-wei (袁孝維) said that the university’s 27 Honduran students were affected by the termination of official diplomatic ties, with 26 enrolled in undergraduate programs and one pursuing a master’s degree.
Twelve of them are expected to graduate this year, Yuan said.
The university has pledged to provide full tuition waivers for students even after the cessation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ scholarships, she said.
For living expenses and other costs, students can apply for the university’s international student scholarship, which provides NT$8,000 per month, she said.
That scholarship requires students to have a grade-point average of 3 to 3.33, depending on the grade level, she added.
Students that still encounter difficulties can approach the university for assistance, Yuan said.
While it is regrettable that the nations severed diplomatic ties, universities would not politicize human rights issues and the right to education, and should continue to assist Honduran students to the best of their ability, she said.
An official from the National Chengchi University Office of International Cooperation said that about 10 Hondurans are enrolled at the university.
The university offers students who previously received the Taiwan Scholarship special tuition arrangements to ensure they can graduate smoothly, they said, adding that part-time work opportunities would be available for students to help meet living expenses.
If students encounter difficulties, they can also apply for emergency assistance funds established by alumni for foreign students, they said.
After 82 years of diplomatic ties, Honduras on March 25 last year announced on social media the end of that relationship with the Republic of China, following Tegucigalpa’s signing of a joint communique with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
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