On May 2nd, the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) hosted the 2018 Overseas Compatriot Students Scholarship Awards Ceremony. OCAC Vice Minister Roy Yuan-Rong Leu chaired the event on behalf of Minister Hsin-hsing Wu. Sixteen donor representatives attended the event to present the scholarship for overseas compatriot students in person. 618 outstanding students from 96 universities were awarded.

In his speech, Vice Minister Leu first thanked the people of their goodwill for donating the scholarships to overseas compatriot students. He also affirmed the academic record and moral character of the scholarship recipients. Vice Minister Leu encouraged the students maintain a grateful heart, study hard and return this kindness with outstanding performance. Plus, he pointed out that the OCAC has focused on overseas compatriot education such as degree programs, the Overseas Youth Vocational Training Workshop (OYVTW), the 3+4 Vocational Education Program for Overseas Compatriot Students and so on, so that overseas compatriot students can receive quality Chinese language education. In the past 60 years, the OCAC has nurtured more than one hundred thousand compatriot student alumni who chose to stay and work in Taiwan. The OCAC also provides overseas compatriot students with comprehensive academic services, including: channels to pursue education in Taiwan and scholarships. Upon graduation, they are welcome to work in Taiwan if they are able to pass certain degree of regulatory requirements. If the students wish to go back to their home countries for future career, the OCAC is also glad to recommend these talented graduates to overseas Taiwanese businesses.

Zhuang Jia-han, a Malaysian student from the Department of Physical Education at National Taiwan Normal University, said that the scholarship provides tremendous financial assistance for him, so that he can concentrate on his studies. Moreover, this honor also represents an affirmation of his performance, and gives him more confidence.

Fu Xue-er, an Indonesian overseas compatriot student studying in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Jinwen University of Science, thanked the donors for their love and support, which has further convinced her that coming to Taiwan to pursue higher education was the right choice. She will study hard and live up to the honor of this scholarship. For the future, she plans to pursue her career in Taiwan, and utilize what she has learned to give back to Taiwanese society.

This year, a total of 99 donated scholarships were received for the overseas compatriot students, with amounts between NT$5,000 and NT$50,000, totaling more than NT$7.16 million.

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