The Taiwanese Ministry of Education arrived in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley last week to hold its Taiwanese education fair in the United States. The education fair featured recruiters from Taiwan’s top universities who spoke to interested American students and parents who want their children to prospectively study in Taiwan. The Los Angeles Times reported that over a thousand people attended. The fair was based at the Chinese Cultural Center in the city of El Monte, a Southern California ethnic enclave of over 20,000 people of Asian descent.
Taiwan’s minister of education, Wei-Ling Chiang, who was present at the education fair, spoke of Taiwan’s current social exigency–the brain drain. Chiang pointed out that there are 3,651 American-born students who are currently studying in Taiwanese universities, while 24,000 Taiwanese students are enrolled in American universities. This imbalance in enrollment has caused Taiwan’s young talent to leave the country and to stay in places such as the United States and for long-term jobs. This outflow of talent is detrimental for Taiwan, as the current demands of the workforce and development calls for evermore aspirant and talented individuals who can contribute their knowledge and skills to their home country rise.
In his welcome speech at the education fair in El Monte, Mr. Chiang made a compelling argument to parents for choosing Taiwan’s universities as a prospective degree program for their children. The average education costs for an undergraduate is about $3,000 per year, which is the standard tuition set by the Taiwanese government. The cost of living is likewise far less than the United States. The target audience for increased enrollment is the average Taiwanese-American teenager, who is the second or third generation in the United States. The appeal of a Taiwanese education is timely as the freezing enrollment and tuition increases in the University of California and California State University systems are pushing for parents to reconsider the value of an American education.
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Written by Ying Jia Huang