On August 24th, 2020, the Ministry of Education (MOE) allowed all degree-seeking foreign students to enter or return to Taiwan, regardless of progress in study. This policy benefited thousands of students globally, but unfortunately, Mandarin-language students, like myself, were excluded from it. 

All students have the same right to education, regardless of their background and their path of study. There should not be any discrimination in access to education, however, the Ministry of Education’s latest policy excludes and discriminates against foreign students wishing to learn Mandarin in Taiwan.

In 2013, the MOE implemented an eight-year project to turn Taiwan into a major international destination for Chinese-language education. Since then, according to the MOE, the ministry has invested NT$3 billion into the project. The MOE has invested so much into the project, but their policy of excluding Mandarin-language students from returning to Taiwan actually turns away international students from learning Mandarin in the country. 

If Taiwan wants to become a major international source of Chinese-language education, the MOE and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) should quickly re-allow the entry of foreign students wishing to learn Mandarin in Taiwan. With proper health protocols in place, bringing Mandarin-language students back into Taiwan could be achieved safely and with low-risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Many Taiwanese education officials were in talks about focusing on distance-learning methods for Chinese-language education. However, distance-learning has proven to be less effective than direct-learning methods, especially with the case of language studies.

With the return of more foreign students, there are concerns in regards to imported COVID-19 cases. But looking at how the country has addressed this pandemic, I believe that international students who enter Taiwan would be in safe hands following the procedures the country has taken, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This should allow Mandarin-language students to enter Taiwan relatively safely and with low-risk. If COVID-19 is still a concern, then the government should strengthen their protocols to bring Mandarin-language students back safely, instead of barring their entry into Taiwan and sacrificing their education.

Please foreign students wishing to learn Mandarin in Taiwan enter the country as soon as possible. Many courses are about to start, and we don't want to miss out on our studies. Like myself, Mandarin-language students wishing to enter Taiwan are not looking to delay their studies any further. Hence, we hope that the MOE will allow the entry of Mandarin-language students as soon as possible, so that we can quickly enter Taiwan to start our studies. The MOE and the MOFA should stop discriminating between degree-seeking students and Mandarin-language students, and let us enter Taiwan as well.