On November 29, NPUST and the Association of Private Higher Education Institutions in Thailand (APHEIT) jointly held the “8th Taiwan Thailand Higher Education Forum”, with Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Education Mon-Chi Lio and Thailand’s Former Minister of Education Dr. Wichit Srisa-an co-hosting the opening ceremony. Between Taiwan and Thailand, 129 schools and 259 participants were in attendance. Together, they worked to develop a deeper understanding of Taiwan and Thailand’s current education needs and promote cooperation and sustainable development between the two countries.
For many years, NPUST has managed the Ministry of Education’s “Taiwan Education Center” in Thailand. In addition to working to deepen and strengthen the friendly relationship that the two countries share, they also facilitate the development of close international partnerships between businesses and organizations from either side. The Taiwan-Thailand Higher Education Forum has been taking place for nearly a decade now and for this year’s forum (which was held online), the theme was “Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Sustainable Development in a Post-COVID Era”. Deputy Minister of Education Mon-Chi Lio and Former Minister of Education Wichit Srisa-an represented their respective countries by offering welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony. The opening was followed by special presentations on “Entrepreneurs in the Post-epidemic Era: Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education” and “Online Learning during the Epidemic”. Afterwards, talks and group discussions were held on the topics of “Promoting Teacher & Student Exchanges between Taiwan and Thailand” and “Strengthening Industry-University Cooperation to Face Future Challenges”. At the end of the meeting, NPUST’s president, Dr. Chang-Hsien Tai, and chairman of APHEIT, Dr. Pornchai Mongkhonvanit, presided over the closing ceremony.
NPUST is deeply connected to higher education in Thailand and the promotion of related exchange and cooperation between the two countries. In addition to the above-mentioned forum, the university is also responsible for organizing the Taiwan-Thailand Higher Education Fair, which draws in thousands of parents and students each year. Taiwan’s higher education has been attracting a lot of international attention for many years now and has become one of the main driving forces behind Taiwan’s economic growth. Currently, Taiwan is the number one choice among students from Southeast Asian countries seeking to study abroad; and the total number of overseas students in Taiwan has already surpassed 120,000. In 2020, the number of Thai students studying in Taiwan hit a record high, exceeding 4,000. They are also Taiwan’s tenth largest source of overseas students. Taiwan’s high-quality learning environment helps students improve their English and Chinese language skills, enrich their experience with international culture, and increase their competiveness in the job market.
