Sixty-four students from Paraguay have been awarded scholarships to go study in Taiwan. It will give them an opportunity to study Mandarin, or pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the country. While they will get to learn in different areas and sectors, these students will get an opportunity to go to Taiwan and experience a different culture. Eight hundred and twenty scholarships have been given to Paraguayans since 1991.
Type of scholarships
The scholarships are awarded in three different categories. The first is the HUAYU, which offered seven spots for Mandarin studies. While the programme might also be called the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES), HUAYU stands for Mandarin Chinese.
The second is the MOFA, which offered 50 spots for undergraduate studies. MOFA stands for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan. The third is the ICDF, which offered seven spots for postgraduate, master’s programmes. The ICDF stands for the International Cooperation and Development Fund.
Scholarship partners
The scholarships are awarded due to the partnership between the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the government of the Republic of Paraguay.
The Paraguayan government is helping throughout the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), via their Directorate of Higher Education Scholarships. The higher learning partnership also involves the National Scholarship Programme Carlos Antonio López (BECAL) and the National Institute of Public Administration of Paraguay (INAPP).
Paraguay and Taiwan partnering in education
The goal of these partnerships is to enhance cooperation in between the two nations. Taiwan has launched multiple scholarship programme and partnerships aimed at Paraguayans. Taiwan is also offering fellowships for Paraguayan academics.
In 2018, with the help of both governments, the Polytechnic University Taiwan – Paraguay was founded. Part of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, it is aimed at offering new opportunities for Paraguayan students. Via this higher learning establishments, they can have the chance to have scholarships to study in Taiwan. Also read about the experience of Ingrid Pereira, a 2024 MOFA scholar in Taiwan.
