On Thursday, November 24, 2022, His Excellency Peter Chia-yen Chen, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, and Mrs. Chen joined Hon. Emma Hippolyte, Minister for Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School and Taiwan Municipal Jincheng Junior High School.
The signing ceremony was held at the Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School, and was also attended by other representatives, including Principal Tsai Ming-Chang and other representatives from Jincheng Junior High School who attended online; Ms. Gianetti George, Acting Chief Education Officer; Ms. Chrisentia Combie, Vice-Principal of Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School; Mrs. Joel Charles-Charlemagne, District Education Officer; and students.
According to Ambassador Chen, the two schools are a perfect match and share something in common: Soufriere became Saint Lucia’s first town in the 18th century, while Tainan is the birthplace of Taiwan and its oldest city. Residents from both Soufriere and Tainan, he said, are proud of their history and distinct culture.
“Both schools have earned the reputation of their teaching quality and student performances,” he said. “The twin school project will provide students with an understanding of international and cultural differences. Students’ curiosity towards their fellow youth may stimulate studying interests to further explore the world.”
Ambassador Chen stated that both Saint Lucia and Taiwan are trying hard to improve the learning environment, recognizing that the next generation is the biggest asset. He said he was pleased that, through the Ministry of Education’s support, 15 smart classrooms have been set up in Saint Lucia, including Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School.
Aside from the “ICT in Education Project”, he said the Taiwanese Embassy also collaborated with the Government of Saint Lucia to launch the “Mandarin Pilot Project”, “Taiwan Scholarship Programme”, and “Youth and Women Economy Empowerment Programme” to provide more resources to the new generation to prepare them to face the problems of globalization.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Hon. Emma Hippolyte, Minister for Commerce and Parliamentary Representative of Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques, for her strong support and assistance toward the cooperation between Taiwan and Saint Lucia,” Ambassador Chen said. “And I want to thank the officials from the Ministry of Education, the staff from both schools, as well as my colleagues from the Taiwan Technical Mission, for their joint efforts to facilitate the signing of the MoU.”
He added that: “By working together, we will expand the establishment of a more inclusive and diversified education for the new generation in Taiwan and in Saint Lucia.”
Hon. Hippolyte – who is the Member of Parliament for Soufriere/Fond St. Jacques – thanked Ambassador Chen for his support and interest in the general development of Saint Lucia. She added that the Government and people of Taiwan has invested heavily of Saint Lucia, including in ICT, infrastructure, to name a few.
Hon. Hippolyte also thanked the principal, teachers and students of Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School, whom, she noted, have been patient and endured many infrastructural and other challenges.
“The whole issue of ICT is very critical for the development of every nation at this point,” Hon. Hipployte remarked. “That is where the world is, and I want to ensure that whatever we are doing in Saint Lucia is placing our children on par with children in any other developing and developed country.”
Hon. Hippolyte implored the students to not take the multimedia smart classroom they received recently for granted.
“You must seize that moment and invest in it,” she said.
On the twinning of the two schools, Hon. Hippolyte said: “As I sat and listened to the background of this school in terms of what we have in common with our friends at Jincheng Junior High School, we have quite a bit in common. But what I’m hoping to see is that cultural exchange.”
Hon. Hippolyte also challenged the faculty at Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School to initiate Mandarin and Robotics classes to further deepen the cultural ties between Taiwan and Saint Lucia.