A delegation comprising representatives from National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Taiwan Normal University concluded a four-day visit to the Philippines Jan. 13, forging stronger ties in higher education between the NTU System schools and the Southeast Asian country in line with the New Southbound Policy.
 
A key plank of President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the New Southbound Policy seeks to deepen Taiwan’s links with Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand across diverse areas including agriculture, business, culture, education, tourism and trade.
 
Led by NTU Executive Vice President for Administrative Affairs Chang Ching-ray, the group of administrative and recruitment staff traveled to Manila to attend the Taiwan-Philippines Academic Exchange Forum, which was co-organized by the three schools and the Philippines government. At the forum, the Taiwan delegation held discussions with leaders of academic institutions such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, Da La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas.
 
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Representative Gary Song-Huann Lin said at the forum that the Philippines, which has the second highest population of any nation in the region, is experiencing continuous economic growth and industrial development. He added that the country is working to reform its education system and is believed by many to have the greatest development potential of any Southeast Asian nation.
 
The NTU System, headed by NTU President Yang Pan-chyr, was established in September last year to facilitate the sharing of campus and internet resources among the nearly 60,000 students and teachers of the three institutions. Last November, Yang led a team from the NTU System on several recruitment projects in Kuala Lumpur.
 
In his opening remarks at the Manila meeting, Chang pointed out that the NTU System will work with schools in the Philippines to expand academic cooperation. The collaborative effort, which will focus on forging connections between undergraduates, graduate students and teachers, will enhance the competitiveness of both nations’ universities, he said.
 
NTU Vice President for International Affairs Luisa Shu-ying Chang said NTU has long been devoted to programs of cooperation with other countries including those in Southeast Asia.
 
In December last year, for instance, she attended the annual meeting of the Thailand-based Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning in the Malaysian city of Putrajaya and inked a cooperation agreement with ASAIHL Chairman Hamid Mirzadeh. (KTJ-E)
 
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