A group of 15 from the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) visited NCUE to discuss future cooperation projects on the teacher training of Chinese independent high schools and sponsorship plans for disadvantaged students, including opening overseas in-service master’s programs and educational programs, conducting workshops for the principals of Chinese independent high schools, and offering scholarships for the students. With the cooperation experience in the past two years, NCUE President Yen-Kuang Kuo takes a positive stance towards the medium- and long-term cooperation with Dong Zong and NCUE is expected to try its best to help promote Chinese education in Malaysia.

Founded in 1954, Dong Zong is a Malaysian Chinese education organization committed to defending rights and interests of Chinese education. Its independent examinations have been recognized by many countries and schools around the world. However, about half of the nearly 5,000 Chinese independent high school teachers have not studied educational programs. As the Dean of the College of Extension Education back in 2007, President Kuo began to plan the professional courses based on the needs of Chinese independent high school teachers. Since 2008, the overseas in-service master’s programs in Education Administration, Counseling and Guidance, Art Education, and Mathematical Creative Teaching and the educational program have been created in succession. There have been more than 600 graduates since.

The delegation was led by the Chairman of Dong Zong, Ta-Chin Chen. President Kuo, who visited Dong Zong in July this year hosted the exchange meeting. President Kuo has great esteem for Dong Zong’s efforts to promote Chinese education in Malaysia. He stated that, as a national university, NCUE should take its social responsibility for integrating with overseas Chinese to promote Chinese education. In view of that fact that NCUE has been awarded the gold medal in TTQS (Talent Quality-management System) and selected as the A-level training unit for the Industrial Talent Investment Program by the Ministry of Labor, the training quality and related administrative service offered to Malaysian teacher-trainees are assured.

Chairman Chen highly praised NCUE for its dedication to cultivating high school teachers and professional talents in Taiwan, which has greatly recognized by people from all walks of life. He indicated that, since the cooperation established in 2016, NCUE has provided scholarships for the students studying educational programs and created educational programs for Chinese independent high school teachers, making outstanding contributions to Chinese teacher education. Chairman Chen expects that, with NCUE’s support, the Chinese independent high schools teachers that earn a Diploma in Education would reach 90% by 2024. Both sides, therefore, have high expectations for the medium and long-term cooperation.

The issues discussed at the meeting included the scholarships established for disadvantaged students from Chinese independent schools to facilitate opportunities of studying abroad, and the integration of self-care courses into each overseas program set up for Chinese independent school teacher to enable them to better handle work-related stress and to benefit their mental and physical health. Further cooperation that reinforces the connection between NCUE and Dong Zong, such as the development of additional overseas master’s programs and credit programs, and workshops for the principals of Chinese independent high schools, were also involved at the meeting.