KUALA LUMPUR: Vietnam and Indonesia have overtaken Malaysia in the number of students studying in Taiwan universities.

Based on the figures in 2023, 18,930 Vietnamese students were studying in Taiwan, followed by 10,100 Indonesians and 10,097 Malaysian students, according to Ministry of Education of Taiwan.

For students pursuing non-degree programmes, Vietnamese ranked first with 27,491 students, followed by 16,725 Indonesians and 10,457 Malaysians.

Up till 2019, Malaysia was top among ASEAN countries with 16,717 students studying in Taiwan.

However, the number of Malaysian students studying in Taiwan fell to 10,097 in 2023 and further last year.

To encourage more Malaysians to study in Taiwan, the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities Malaysia has shifted its focus to promote “study in Taiwan” in remote areas and small towns of Malaysia to recruit new students.

Pang King Hoe, president of the Federation of Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities Malaysia, said for the past six to seven years, the number of Malaysians pursuing studies in Taiwan had been declining, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other reasons cited are the mushrooming of colleges and universities in Malaysia, and fewer children in Chinese Malaysian households.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, many local institutions of higher learning opt to recruit students right after the release of SPM (equivalent to IGCSE) results in March, while students would need to wait until September to study in Taiwan, Pang explained.

“The depreciation of ringgit is another factor,” he said.

Instead of studying in Taiwan, parents also opt to send their children to study in China, said Pang, adding that the rise of China has indirectly eroded Taiwan’s international clout.

“China is actively recruiting Malaysians to study in China, and I believe the number is increasing,” he said.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia offers up to RM11,000 study aids and RM140,500 scholarships for Malaysian students.

Regulations for permanent residency have also been relaxed in a bid to attract more Malaysian students. Foreign students are also allowed to work in Taiwan now.

Sylvia H.W. Yang from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia said Malaysians are worried about their children especially after the pandemic.

Malaysians are also pampered with more options as renowned foreign universities have set up branch campuses in Malaysia offering attractive scholarships, she said.

Vietnamese and Indonesian students study, undergo paid internships and work in Taiwan so that they are able to send money back home, she explained.