PETALING JAYA: A total of 18 officials from Kedah education department completed a 10-day Mandarin program in Taiwan in December last year.

Arranged by Taiwan Education & Cultural Organization, Malaysia and subsidized by the Education Ministry of Taiwan, the non-Chinese officials learned Mandarin in Kun Shan University and visited National Cheng Kung University.

The delegation, led by Fadil Long Mohamed, senior assistant director of the Kedah education department, also met with two non-Chinese scholarship recipients from Malaysia currently studying at National Cheng Kung University.

The delegation also visited a primary school in Tainan City and met with the city’s head of education department.

Beh Chew Nam, chief executive officer of Taiwan Education and Cultural Organization, Malaysia, said the visit provided non-Chinese Malaysians an opportunity to learn Mandarin and experience the Chinese culture.

Beh, who was also in the delegation, said it took the organization six months to prepare for the visit.

This is the third delegation of non-Chinese education officials in a study tour to Taiwan since 2019, he said.

For the past ten years, the organization has arranged for various visits to Taiwan, including Taiwan higher education exhibitions, cultural tours, working visits for teachers and others in a bid to encourage young Malaysians to upgrade themselves through education.