A 16-member education delegation from the Philippines visited Taiwan to deepen cooperation in bilingual and science education and expand high school exchanges, the Ministry of Education said July 23.
Led by Maridon O. Sahagun, undersecretary for scientific and technical services of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, the delegation included officials from the Philippine Science High School System and high school administrators. Members sought a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s higher education environment and looked to boost mutual visits between high schools. Officials from both countries also shared experiences of establishing national-level science experimental schools and expanding bilingual learning in science, technology, engineering and math.
According to the MOE, delegation members visited schools and facilities including National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Academica Sinica, and attended the 2026 Taiwan-Philippines Senior High School Exchange Roundtable at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung City during their stay.
Joyce Yu-jiuan Lee, director general of the MOE’s Department of International and Cross-strait Education, said student exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines have grown rapidly, citing the 5,536 Filipino students who studied in Taiwan in the 2025 academic year, 3,590 of whom are pursuing degrees. The Philippines is now the sixth-highest source of international degree students, she noted, adding that many of them are studying engineering, manufacturing, medicine, and information and communications technology.
Twenty-four Taiwan Scholarship Program slots were offered to Filipino students in 2026, Lee said, adding that the Taiwan Education Center in the Philippines has also opened 193 Mandarin classes since it was established by NSYSU in 2018.
The visit is anticipated to help Taiwanese and Philippine high schools build long-term partnerships, the MOE said. The ministry further expressed hope that more Filipino high school graduates will study in Taiwan, and that the two countries could jointly cultivate a broader talent pool of internationally competitive high-tech workers. (YCH-E)
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Led by Maridon O. Sahagun, undersecretary for scientific and technical services of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, the delegation included officials from the Philippine Science High School System and high school administrators. Members sought a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s higher education environment and looked to boost mutual visits between high schools. Officials from both countries also shared experiences of establishing national-level science experimental schools and expanding bilingual learning in science, technology, engineering and math.
According to the MOE, delegation members visited schools and facilities including National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Academica Sinica, and attended the 2026 Taiwan-Philippines Senior High School Exchange Roundtable at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung City during their stay.
Joyce Yu-jiuan Lee, director general of the MOE’s Department of International and Cross-strait Education, said student exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines have grown rapidly, citing the 5,536 Filipino students who studied in Taiwan in the 2025 academic year, 3,590 of whom are pursuing degrees. The Philippines is now the sixth-highest source of international degree students, she noted, adding that many of them are studying engineering, manufacturing, medicine, and information and communications technology.
Twenty-four Taiwan Scholarship Program slots were offered to Filipino students in 2026, Lee said, adding that the Taiwan Education Center in the Philippines has also opened 193 Mandarin classes since it was established by NSYSU in 2018.
The visit is anticipated to help Taiwanese and Philippine high schools build long-term partnerships, the MOE said. The ministry further expressed hope that more Filipino high school graduates will study in Taiwan, and that the two countries could jointly cultivate a broader talent pool of internationally competitive high-tech workers. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News