Taking into account the seriousness and uncertainty of the COVID-19, for epidemic prevention and to protect child health it has been decided to suspend the "Nostalgia for Taiwan: Bringing Children Home to Learn the Language of Their Parents' Native Land ─Short-Term in-School Experiential Study Program for Overseas Compatriot Children and Adolescents" (hereafter the Program) from 2022 after discussion with the Ministry of Education.
Past results
The Overseas Community Affairs Council, ROC (Taiwan) (OCAC) and K-12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education jointly launched the Program in 2018. In total, 139 children and adolescents from 13 countries returned to Taiwan for experiential study. In 2019, the Program was expanded and saw 43 elementary and junior high schools in 15 cities and counties take part; 699 children from 29 countries applied and 610 were successfully matched (total experience 689 person/times), with a matching success rate of 91.18%. However, in academic year 2020, the Program was suspended after taking into account the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Program is very helpful in terms of enhancing the emotional connection of overseas compatriots with Taiwan and cultural inheritance education, and the response from overseas compatriots has been enthusiastic, the OCAC will look into its restoration once the pandemic has eased to encourage more young overseas compatriots to return to Taiwan for study and cultivate a new generation of pro-Taiwan overseas compatriots; and, to convert the deep feeling for Taiwan of overseas compatriots into power to assist the government sustainably promote overseas compatriot education work.
