Ten years ago, Taiwan Education Center offices were established in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Nakhon Ratchasima to provide teachers and students in Thailand with information on courses and scholarships in Taiwan. With the aim of encouraging more Thai students to study in Taiwan, this year (2023) a fourth office was established at Phuket Rajabhat University, in southern Thailand. For the unveiling ceremony, Director Ouyang Yanheng of the TECO Education Division and President Chin-Lung Chang of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) led a delegation including NPUST Accounting Office Director Yen-Hsueh Shen and Dean of the Office of International Affairs, Vincent Shih, on a visit to Phuket Rajabhat University on August 30th. Phuket Rajabhat University President Hiran Prasarnkarn, Vice President Thawatchai Thoomthong, Assistant President Akkarin Thongkaw, and the deans of various departments were also in attendance, together with of Phuket Technical College President Witthaya Ketchu, Principal Montree Pornphol of Satree Phuket School, Deputy Director Jakgrit Siriwat of Phuket Education District, and Representative Rewat Areerob of the Phuket Provincial Administration.
Education Division Director Ouyang Yanheng of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand delivered a speech, saying “the Taiwan government has been steadily strengthening education-based ties with Thailand over the years, and is pleased to see that more than 4,000 Thai students studied in Taiwan in 2022. Taiwan is happy to see more students come experience its academic freedom, excellent public health care, rich and diverse culture, the friendliness of its people, its robust democracy, and progressive values. We are pleased to open a new office at Phuket Rajabhat University to expand and promote academic and educational exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Thailand and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Phuket Rajabhat University for its valuable support and assistance in establishing a Taiwan Education Center Office on its campus”.
NPUST has operated the Taiwan Education Center in Thailand since 2013 with a mission to: 1. Expand Chinese language education and promote Chinese proficiency-testing and certification; 2. Expand the market for studying abroad and short-term Chinese language learning in Taiwan through the recruitment of Thai students; 3. Enhance bilateral exchanges among higher education and technical & vocational education institutes in Taiwan and Thailand; and, 4. Cooperate with national policies to promote exchanges and cooperation between industry, government, and academia in Taiwan and Thailand. The purpose of the new Phuket office is to expand the scope of Taiwan’s higher education information and services in southern Thailand and provide a more convenient channel for students in the area to access those services. In the past, fewer students from southern Thailand were coming to Taiwan than from big cities further north, such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The willingness among students from rural areas, however, was no less than that of students of from these big cities. Recognizing a gap to be filled, NPUST and the Ministry of Education’s Department of International and Cross-Straight Education jointly worked to open the new office with hopes that more outstanding students would come study in Taiwan and NPUST.
NPUST has continuously maintained good exchange and cooperation with industrial, governmental, and academic sectors in Thailand and has signed sister-school cooperation agreements with nearly 40 renowned universities in Thailand. Every year, NPUST sees more than 100 short/long-term exchanges or cooperative projects with Thailand. Currently it has more than 30 Thai students studying in its masters or PhDs programs. After graduating and returning home, Thai alumni of NPUST are often very successful in business and enjoy fruitful careers. Such companies as Formothai Co. and Known-You Seed Co. have also facilitated many trips in recent years, and there has been a significant increase in the number of people from industry, government and academia from both Taiwan and Thailand taking part in visits and exchanges. As cooperation between NPUST and various sectors in Thailand continues, hopes are that the Taiwan Education Center in Thailand will serve as a good exchange platform, helping more Thai teachers, students and people from all sectors learn about Taiwan’s high-quality higher education, and that the friendly partnership between Taiwan and Thailand will continue to strengthen. The Taiwan Education Center was created based on a policy promoted by Taiwan’s Executive Yuan. Under a specific set of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, universities around Taiwan may be commissioned to oversee Taiwan Education Centers in various counties around the world. Because of the strong relationships NPUST had built in Thailand over the years, it was selected by the government to operate the Taiwan Education Centers in that country. With support from the Ministry of Education, NPUST was able to open a new office Phuket office this year, and looks forward to seeing more outstanding Thai students come to Taiwan to study in the future.
