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[romanworld]

Rumored ban on mainland students worries universities
CNA
June 7, 2016, 12:13 am TWN

TAIPEI -- Private universities are worried about the impact a possible ban or restrictions on Chinese students studying in Taiwan could have on two-way educational exchanges and their future enrollment numbers.

In a report Monday, the Apple Daily said China was planning to restrict its students from studying in Taiwan due to the fact that the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was now in power in Taiwan.

The Ministry of Education said, however, it has not been informed of any changes in Beijing's policy regarding Chinese nationals studying in Taiwan, and the Apple Daily offered few details on what the policy might entail.

With universities in the dark, Lee Tien-rein, chairman of the Association of Private Universities and Colleges, said he sent a text message to member universities in which he acknowledged they could be affected by the issue but was not sure to what extent.

"As different provinces in (China) have not adopted a unified stance on the issue, the (Chinese) central government is supposedly allowing local governments to deal with it based on their own exchange experience with Taiwan," the email said.

Lee, who is also president of Taipei-based Chinese Culture University, encouraged members to "verify the matter with your Chinese counterparts to see how to handle the issue for next semester. There is no unified approach at present. This is only for your reference."According to Lee, some summer camps planned by his university in Taiwan for Chinese college students have been affected by the rumored change in China's policy on student visits to Taiwan.

Soochow University President Pan Wei-ta said everybody has heard the rumors, but a short-term exchange program arranged by the school for Chinese students is still active, though it remains unclear whether they will come to Taiwan or not, he said.

As Beijing has apparently not given a very clear directive, Pan said he believes Chinese students seeking to obtain a diploma in Taiwan will not be affected, but those on exchange and training programs will be.

Kaohsiung-based I-Shou University, which has the more than 1,000 Chinese students enrolled, the most of any Taiwanese institution of higher education, called it a sensitive issue and was reluctant to comment.

It would only say that it will have to wait until September to see how serious Beijing's new approach might be.

There are currently around 40,000 Chinese college students studying in Taiwan a year, with about 7,000 pursuing a diploma at local universities and the rest being exchange students and students in training programs.

Were China to impose a ban on Chinese students coming to Taiwan, Taiwan's private universities would be particularly at risk.

They generally need to recruit more students from abroad to compensate for a fall in enrollment due to a declining birth rate and Taiwanese students' preference to attend cheaper public schools.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2016/06/07/468555/Rumored-ban.htm

[Chroniclesoffreedom]

Start recruiting students from different countries.

[theoriginalprankster]

If I were a Taiwanese student, teacher or professor this would be music to my ears.