Ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on education cooperation between Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and West Virginia’s Department of Education on Feb. 28. State Superintendent of Schools David L. Roach represented the West Virginia Department of Education.
Through this official educational agreement, Mandarin Chinese and English language teaching will be expanded and educational and academic exchanges between educational academic personnel and schools at all levels will be encouraged. The agreement lays a more solid foundation for future bilateral education cooperation.
In December 2020, Taiwan and the United States signed the Taiwan-U.S. Education Initiative, which aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in international education, especially in the field of language education. Therefore, the West Virginia government actively encourages schools and universities in the state to cooperate with Taiwan. Consequently, Monongalia County has hired three teachers from Taiwan since 2021 to teach Mandarin Chinese courses in primary and secondary schools in the county, with excellent results. In December 2021, West Virginia University and National Sun Yat-Sen University signed an agreement on the Huayu BEST Program to promote bilateral language exchanges, making West Virginia University the first university in the state to cooperate with Taiwan.
West Virginia has maintained a partnership with Taiwan since August 4, 1980, with close bilateral trade, investment, education and cultural exchanges. This morning, Ambassador Hsiao received a citation from the West Virginia Senate and House of Representatives reaffirming West Virginia's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Taiwan. These achievements are based on the hard work and mutual trust of all personnel on both sides. Ambassador Hsiao thanked all the working partners in West Virginia and stated her anticipation for a closer cooperative relationship between West Virginia and Taiwan in the future.