NPUST’s president, Chin-Lung Chang, said in his speech at the opening ceremony: “I hope that through this experience camp, our young friends from Malaysia can feel the enthusiasm and professionalism of educators at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and I hope that everyone will be able to develop a clearer understanding of the direction they would like to take in the future”. President Chin-Lung Chang emphasized that NPUST attaches great importance to the professional development and cultivation of young international talent.

The subject matter of the experience camp was rich and diverse with many exciting activities planned out, including a “DNA Magic Board Game” by the Department of Biotechnology, “Healthy Fermented Food Production” by the Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, “Biological Print Making” and “Clownfish Breeding” by the Department of Aquaculture, “Seed Painting and Soil Plant Environmental Art” by the Department of Plant Industry and much, much more.  

At the completion ceremony and exhibition on June 7, students worked in groups to present their completed works and the short videos they made during the camp. Together they demonstrated their creativity and teamwork through entertaining presentations that brought much laughter and applause to the scene. One student from Kuala Lumpur shared, saying “this was the first time I have been away from Malaysia for so long, and it is also my first time to step into a university in Taiwan. Through the courses over the past few days, I have developed a strong interest in environmental sustainability, and I hope to have the opportunity to study at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in the future”. The students in the experience camp were very grateful to the Office of International Affairs for organizing such an interesting and meaningful event, and they were also happy to also have the opportunity to meet students from different states in Malaysia and become friends.

The event promoted cultural understanding and exchange between Taiwan and Malaysia, and also created a pathway for Malaysian students to explore Taiwan’s higher education. The Office of International Affairs stated that it will continue to deepen cooperation with schools in Malaysia, expand diverse channels for international admissions, and invite more outstanding students from overseas to experience the academic charm of NPUST.

Vice-Dean Ya Ling Wu explained that “recently, major traffic accidents have occurred on and off campus. So, please stay alert at all times, keep your speed down, and ensure your own personal safety when riding motorcycles”. Wu also thanked Chief Yi-Lung Kuo of the Neipu Branch of the County Police Department, Pingtung County Police Department Foreign Affairs Section Chief Wu-Hsuan Lo and his staff, and the Maternal and Child Health Section and the Traffic Section of the Neipu Police Branch for visiting the school and assisting with the promotional activities.

Division Chief Kuo pointed out to the students that the among the top ten accident-prone intersections, four are located along Shoubi Road and one is on Keda Road (two main roads connecting the campus to the outside world). He called on everyone to pay attention to driving safety, to not drive without a license, and to slow down—as speed is a major factor in accidents.

The traffic safety and anti-fraud presentation for overseas students was proved by Officer Chia-Yun Chen from the Foreign Affairs Division of the Pingtung County Police Department. She reminded the students to protect their personal belongings at all times—such as laptops, wallets, passports, motorcycles— to prevent them from falling into the hands of thieves.

The Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act was also an important item of attention. Officer Chen explained the definition of stalking and harassment to the students, covering the eight behavioral patterns of stalking and harassment. She also explained the procedures used by the police to handle cases, including penalties and court-issued protection orders.

Regarding traffic safety regulations, it was explained to the overseas students that they can exchange their international driver’s licenses for a driver’s license valid for up to one year, but after that, they will need to pass an exam to obtain a local driver’s license—and they shouldn’t drive without a license. For light electric scooters, licenses are not required, but riders still need to wear a helmet and obey traffic regulations.

The officer also warned the international students about fraud, explaining that if they are to encounter any suspicious business activities while working, they should report it to the school security or police. They should also never pay money in exchange for a job opportunity, or give their passport or residence permit to their employer for safekeeping. The students were also warned to never trust high-return investments or singe-page website ads, and they should be aware of and on guard against telephone scams.

At the end of the safety seminar, the police officers held a quiz with prizes, asking questions like whether a driver’s license is required for light electric motorcycles, what the anti-fraud hotline is, what should you do if you lose your wallet, and where the nearest police station is. The activity offered good insight for students new to Taiwan—and thanks to the clear explanations provided by the officers, they will be better equipped to face certain legal issues that they could potentially encounter during their time here.

The Pakistan and Indonesian student unions warmly invited all Muslim students and their families to attend the Iftar gathering, so that they could embrace the blessings of Ramadan and share the joy of the holy month together. According to the National Religious Information Network, Eid al-Fitr is scheduled for the 1st day of the 10th month on the Islamic calendar. The festival is a time for Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan, which falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. One of the two most important annual holidays in Islam is the month of Ramadan. During this month, which is a month of fasting, Muslims can normally only eat after dusk and before sunrise, but must stop eating from sunrise to sunset each day. When the month is over, the Eid al-Fitr celebration follows.

During the activities, which were carefully planned out by the Pakistani and Indonesian student unions, the participants prayed piously on mats to celebrate the beginning the festival, and they enjoyed a delicious feast full of hometown flavors together with their schoolmates and family—making for a time full of blessings and joy. At NPUST, the Office of International Affairs shows great consideration for both the studies and lives of its foreign students, and hopes by organizing various cultural activities and festivals, the students can feel the warmth of home while studying in Taiwan, and NPUST’s local students can also get acquainted with the diverse cultures the school’s foreign students.

President Chin-Lung Chang expressed his pleasure in receiving the visiting delegation, pointing out that the relationship between NPUST and Malaysia dates back to 1963, when the university first established the Overseas Youth Vocational Training School in accordance with the overseas Chinese education policy. Over the years, the school cultivated many classes of Malaysian students and currently there are 26 students from Malaysia enrolled in NPUST’s Department of Plant Industry and Department of Tropical Agriculture Department. After graduation, they can choose to continue their studies or return home to apply their knowledge and strengths in the field and build bridges for agricultural development between the two countries, and even the rest of the world. Our Malaysian alumni have done very well in various sectors. For example, Mr. Cheong-Beng Lai, the former president of the NPUST Malaysian Alumni Association, has gone on to become the managing director of an agriculture trading company and Mr. Siew Tick Chai, the current president of the NPUST Malaysian Alumni Association, won the 2023 Overseas Community Affairs Council ‘s Global Outstanding Overseas Chinese Alumni Award. We are proud to say that Mr. Twang Fui Boo, who is president of the Batu Pahat Alumni Association in Taiwan and Ching-Zeng Lo, who is known as the Malaysian Prince of Dried Fruits, are also alumni of NPUST.

The president of the Federation of Alumni, King Hoe Pang, praised NPUST for its high-quality education and for being a leader in Taiwan’s agriculture sector—and he thanked the school for its efforts in cultivating Malaysian students. During the meeting, in addition to learning about the school’s achievements in Smart agriculture and cross-disciplinary research and development, the guests were interested in discussing the continuation of the Overseas Youth Vocational Training School, the holding of overseas master’s courses and the acquisition of veterinary certifications. They expressed their hopes to see more Malaysian students benefit from NPUST’s high-quality education, to which the school’s teachers also expressed support. After the meeting, the delegation visited the Department of Wood Science and Design, Smart Agriculture Center, and the Staff and Student Consumer Cooperative. Within the limited time of exchange, the leaders and members of the Alumni Association gained a lot and were left with very positive impression about the school.

Kluang is located in the central part of Johor, Malaysia, and in recent years the Malaysian government has been committed to developing the area as a hub for agricultural products and technology. Meanwhile, the Kluang Agricultural Association is working to promote agricultural development, improve management efficiency, increase production, enhance product quality, and conduct related economic and commercial activities. They are also organizing activities that will help enhance the relevant professional knowledge of their members. The delegation visiting NPUST included professionals from Malaysia’s agricultural and animal husbandry sectors, including oil palm growers, fruit growers, leafy vegetable farmers, durian companies, organic fertilizer producers and members of agricultural cooperatives. Through the exchange, the farmers learned techniques on how to grow crops more efficiently.

While the guests were on campus, Jia-Fu Leo, a third year student from Malaysia studying at the NPUST Department of Plant Industry was invited to share his experiences at the university. Leo talked eloquently about how he persuaded his parents to let him go abroad to join the Overseas Youth Vocational Training School at NPUST, and how he acquired relevant knowledge and skills during his studies. He shared his rich experiences in an orderly manner and left a deep impression on the visitors. During the visit, the Office of International Affairs also arranged for the delegation to tour the school’s Center for Agricultural and Aquacultural Products Inspection and Certification, Simulated GMP Food Production Line, Smart Farm and other teaching and research facilities. The last stop was at the Student and Staff Consumer Cooperative where the visitors were introduced to the sales and marketing of products developed and produced by the university, and learned about some of their successful experiences. The time at the school proved to be quite fruitful for the Malaysian visitors and will hopefully lead to new opportunities in the future.

The subject matter included professional courses on as Smart agriculture, insect ecology, and herb science. A variety of agricultural-related DIY activities were also arranged, including baking, indigo dyeing, and more. During their stay, the group visited the simulated GMP food production line, wildlife shelter, livestock farm, and green energy bio-factory on campus, and on the last day they went on an off-campus field trip to the Agricultural Technology Park and Known-You Seed Company for observations. The teachers and students of Walailak University expressed satisfaction with this training activity, saying that in addition to learning relevant professional knowledge and skills, they also had the opportunity to interact with the faculty and staff of NPUST and experience its campus life and environment more intimately. In the future, exchange students will be selected to return to NPUST for internships.

Since 2013, NPUST and Walailak University have enjoyed a sister-school relationship. Walailak University was established in 1992 and operates as comprehensive university in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province of southern Thailand. With a total area of ​​approximately 1,457 hectares, it is situated on the largest campus in Thailand and is home to a School of Management, School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Engineering and Resources, School of Liberal Arts, School of Architecture and Design, and International College, and more.

NPUST currently has 48 students from Caribbean countries enrolled in studies at the school, including 6 from Saint Vincent. While on campus, Ambassador Bowman had a brief meeting with university president Chin-Lung Chang before the lecture. The president expressed his deep gratitude to the ambassador for taking the time to come to the south of Taiwan to provide a lecture at NPUST. The ambassador praised the high-quality education afforded by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and said that the first student from Saint Vincent to study at NPUST intends to continue at the university in pursuit of a doctorate degree.

Ambassador Bowman believes that in the current educational context, “gender equality” cannot fully meet the needs of women and men. She believes that quality education in “Goal 4” of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all” is closest to her ideals. Bowman argued that the current social environment has not yet achieved expected goals, and that gender “equity” should be emphasized more than gender “equality” in modern education. The students who participated in the lecture agreed that “gender equity” is more substantial than “gender equality”. The NPUST Office of International Affairs organized the gender quality education lecture to inspire positive thinking among teachers and students with respect to the practice of gender equality issues.

Since signing a sister school agreement in 2009, NPUST and Nara Gakuen University have maintained regular exchanges. Every summer vacation, students from NPUST go to Nara Gakuen University to participate in their Japanese language training program and get themselves more acquainted with the Japanese culture. Likewise, students from Nara Gakuen University come to NPUST to learn Chinese and experience Taiwanese culture. This most recent exchange will help add new depth to the cooperation between the two schools in the fields of early childhood education and elderly health care. Through the exchange of professional knowledge and the sharing of practical experiences, both sides took a deeper look into the real-world challenges brought about by declining birthrates and the aging of society, and together they laid a more solid foundation for future cooperation.

On February 25 (2025), a group of six teachers and students from the Center for Social and International Cooperation and the Department of Nursing at Japan’s Nara Gakuen University visited National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) for a two-day exchange and study session, focusing on early childhood education and elderly health care. Activities were arranged to give the NPUST Department of Child Care, Department of Recreational Sport & Health Promotion, and Language Center an opportunity for quality exchange with the visitors. By observing professional courses and sharing practical experiences, both sides hoped to add depth to their knowledge and understanding of the different approaches that are being applied in related fields. As both Taiwan and Japan are quickly becoming “super-aged” societies, questions related to the improvement of education for infants and toddlers and health care for the elderly have become very important for both countries. In addition to the classroom activities which helped promote in-depth discussions between teachers and students, field visits were arranged to add depth and breadth to the cross-cultural academic exchange experience.

The first stop on the visit was the Department of Child Care, where teachers and students from Nara Gakuen University were introduced to the school’s teaching facilities, infant care models, teaching aids, rhythm classroom, resource classroom, and nanny technician certification center. They also explored ways to promote cultural identity and social interaction through ‘co-learning’ between the young and the old. Later, the guests visited the Department of Recreational Sport & Health Promotion, where they observed the department’s comprehensive injury prevention and physical fitness training equipment and toured their health promotion facilities, including the flywheel classroom, water recreation area, and outdoor adventure sports ground. The students also had a chance to participate in a water bag weight training demonstration designed to improve muscle strength and balance by simulating the coordinated movements of different muscle groups with different weights. The students were impressed by the innovative teaching methods used by NPUST in the field of health promotion, and were left with an added appreciation for the practical benefits of professional training when it comes to improved physical and mental health.

Since signing a sister school agreement in 2009, NPUST and Nara Gakuen University have maintained regular exchanges. Every summer vacation, students from NPUST go to Nara Gakuen University to participate in their Japanese language training program and get themselves more acquainted with the Japanese culture. Likewise, students from Nara Gakuen University come to NPUST to learn Chinese and experience Taiwanese culture. This most recent exchange will help add new depth to the cooperation between the two schools in the fields of early childhood education and elderly health care. Through the exchange of professional knowledge and the sharing of practical experiences, both sides took a deeper look into the real-world challenges brought about by declining birthrates and the aging of society, and together they laid a more solid foundation for future cooperation.

On February 23 (2025), the Dean of the RMUTI College of Business Administration, Dr. Anirut Phiphatprapha (an alumnus of the NPUST Ph.D. Program in Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation), led a delegation of seven faculty members from their school’s College of Business Administration, Office of International Affairs, and Student Union to NPUST together with 13 exchange students— demonstrating the high regard RMUTI has for the program. The NPUST Office of International Affairs arranged an airport pick-up and accommodations for the visitors, and organized meetings with the NPUST College of Management and Student Union to promote further understanding between the two schools and find ways to help the exchange students integrate into campus life and the new learning environment. The RMUTI students come from four departments at their university’s College of Business Administration; namely, the Department of Logistics, Department of Digital Marketing, Department of Accounting, and Department of Integrated Business Management. While at NPUST, they will study three fully English-instructed courses selected to enhance their professional knowledge and international experience, including Agribusiness Management (Assoc. Prof. Rebecca H. Chung), Financial Management Case Analysis (Prof. Rern-Jay Hung) and International Supply Chain Management (Prof. Hsiang-Hsi Huang). The 3+3 bilateral exchange program provides students from both universities with diverse international learning opportunities. The record number of RMUTI students coming to Taiwan this semester demonstrates the attractiveness and competitiveness of NPUST’s international programs. In the future, the university will continue to promote and enhance their international learning environment and create new opportunities for cooperation with partnering schools.

In his speech, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung stated that since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first launched the special program with the cooperation of top domestic universities in 2022, it has trained a total of 221 young people from 12 New Southbound target countries, including Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The special program was successfully expanded in 2024 thanks to the five schools which provided excellent assistance through careful reception and planning. Not only did the schools demonstrate Taiwan’s expertise in public health and medical care, semiconductor technology, regional and cross-strait research, climate change governance, sustainable agriculture and food security, but they also provided the students with an in-depth experience of Taiwanese culture. Minister Lin thanked the New Southbound countries’ representatives in Taiwan for supporting the youth exchanges, and expressed his pleasure to see that the five professional fields covered by the schools all lined with the Taiwan’s “integrated diplomacy” approach.

Joey Beatrix Bernadette, an outstanding student in the NPUST program was presented with the “Minister’s Award” by Minister Lin Chia-Lung. During the acceptance she said, “I am very grateful for this Ministry of Foreign Affairs project and to National Pingtung University of Science and Technology for taking good care of me. The program has allowed me to acquire a lot of knowledge and see a new face of the world. During this precious time, I met humble and kind friends and teachers, and experienced wonderful new experiences in Taiwan with my classmates. Although we come from different backgrounds and have no blood relationship, these brothers and sisters have become an important part of my life. The journey has left many deep impressions on us and will become an unforgettable part of the history in our lives! I hope that more people will be interested in studying in Taiwan, which is so filled with opportunities”.

A total of 30 students enrolled in the 2024 New Southbound Policy Elite Study Program at NPUST, coming from 20 schools in six countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and India. In addition to learning Chinese together, the participating students had the opportunity to study animal science, food science, biotechnology, animal vaccines, plant medicine, and agribusiness, depending on their interests. The NPUST Office of International Affairs also thoughtfully arranged cultural visits once a month to allow students to experience the local customs and food cultures of various places. In this way, in addition to providing students with a comprehensive professional learning experience, they also had the chance to enrich their life experience in Taiwan.