HK, Macau universities catch the eyes of students in Taiwan

The Cross-strait University Expo opened at the general gymnasium of the National Taiwan University yesterday with more than 30 higher learning institutions in Taiwan and from Hong Kong and Macau participating.

More than 180 universities and colleges in China had planned to display their brochures and other literatures at the exhibition for reference.

But the plan was scrapped after a last-minute notice from the Ministry of Education (MOE) stressing that recruiting Taiwanese students by Chinese schools is not allowed until relevant rules are eased by lawmakers,

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) took part in the education fair for the first time. But its staff manning the booth received numerous inquiries after the school announced a plan for recruiting 10 Taiwan students by offering each HK$420,000 in scholarship.

HKU, established in 1911, was given a high ranking of the 26th places amongst international higher learning institutions in a survey by The Times in London, far ahead of the 50th spot for China's Peking University in Beijing and the 124th place for National Taiwan University in Taipei.

Macau University, which offers a 50 percent reduction in tuition for overseas students, also attracted a big crowd.

Both schools accept the grades of the Taiwan students' joint college entrance examination to save them a lot of trouble.

In order to lure the brightest students, local schools are also providing generous scholarships.

Hua Fan University in Taipei County has earmarked a budget of NT$180 million for students from low-income families.

Taipei Medical University will give full scholarships totaling NT$63 million to 60 qualified students plus guaranteed medical jobs at the hospitals run by the school.

The newly established Mackay Medical College will exempt qualified students from tuition and boarding costs plus a monthly expense account of NT$5,000 for up to four years.

They will also be given jobs with monthly pay ranging from NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 at various branches of the Mackay Memorial Hospital after graduation.

The Tatung University will give NT$1 million in scholarship in a period of four years to each of qualified candidates while many public schools funded by the government are also offering different packages of scholarships and payment.

Many visitors complained about the ban on the participation by schools from China.

Officials at the MOE and the Mainland Affairs Council said the present restrictions will not be lifted before the rules are amended.

But they stressed that the government will not prohibit Taiwan students from pursuing studies in China under the mechanism of free competition.

To minimize opposition from certain organizations on the government's plan to relax the policy on Chinese students' seeking education opportunities in Taiwan, the government will maintain the restrictions on the number of students from the same school and region in China.

Other curbs will include prohibiting them from working, taking part in certifying examinations, and taking employment after graduation, they said.

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