Forty-four Saint Lucians have been awarded scholarships by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) this year to pursue tertiary education in that country. Thirty-seven received the MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Scholarship, while seven received the Taiwan ICDF Scholarship.
This year’s scholarship awardees include 24 female students and 20 male students, who were selected via a joint effort of the Governments of Taiwan and Saint Lucia, and the evaluation was made according to the academic performances along with other criteria, and followed by the oral presentation.
More than 130 applicants applied for the scholarships this year. Moreover, the number of scholarship awardees this year has been the highest ever – nine more than last year. When this year’s scholarship awardees arrive in Taiwan in August, there will be approximately 200 Saint Lucian students studying in Taiwan.
A scholarship awards ceremony was held on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at the Finance Administrative Centre at Pointe Seraphine, where the scholarship awardees were congratulated and encouraged to dedicate their time and energies towards their educational journey in Taiwan.
H.E. Nicole Su, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, explained that the scholarships demonstrate Taiwan’s efforts to respond to the Government of Saint Lucia’s vision of “One University Graduate per Household”, noting that it is the shared values of both countries’ common aspiration to empower the youth through education.
She said that according to the prestigious QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Global University Ranking, eight universities in Taiwan are among the top 500 in the world, with Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, ranking number 14 among the Top 20 in the QS Best Cities for Students. She also referenced the World Competitiveness Report conducted by the IMD of Switzerland, whose most recent 2025 global ranking analysis issued in June, ranked Taiwan’s competitiveness at number 6 in the world, and its education system ranking number 11 in terms of infrastructure in the world competitiveness landscape.
Ambassador Su congratulated the scholarship awardees, telling them that they will be inspired, stimulated, and empowered while in Taiwan.
Ambassador Su told the students that while culture shock is inevitable, including the new language, the exotic food options, or fast-paced metro or high-speed railway in Taiwan, they must nevertheless be brave and to embrace the challenges.
While Taiwan’s culture is different to Saint Lucia, Ambassador Su assured the students and their parents that Taiwan is a safe country to live in, with travel advisories issued by major countries such as Canada and the United States considering Taiwan among the safest countries in the world.
Ambassador Su thanked Hon. Shawn Edward, Minister for Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, for his unwavering support and guidance on the scholarship programme. She also thanked the dedicated team at the Department of Human Resource Development in the Ministry of Education for their dedication and continued collaboration with the Taiwan Embassy.
Hon. Shawn Edward, Minister for Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, thanked the Government and people of Taiwan for their continued support, not only in education, but in every sphere of national development. He said he was pleased at the level of diversity reflected in this year’s scholarship awardees, both in terms of gender parity and fields of study.
“I have concluded that that we are talking about millions of dollars’ worth of investment,” he said. “The dollar value on each scholarship, cumulatively, can give us any building, any hospital, any school, and any road in Saint Lucia today.”
Hon. Edward said the Government of Saint Lucia was very deliberate in its policy initiatives regarding the “One University Graduate per Household”, which, he believes, can be realized: “We are doing it because we have a profound belief that human resource development and training, more than anything else, is what will determine whether Saint Lucia thrives in a globally competitive environment or whether we sink and continue to exist at the mercy of more developed countries.”
While congratulating the students and encouraging them to make the most of their educational journey in Taiwan, Hon. Edward cautioned them to be true ambassadors of Saint Lucia, and always remember the deep friendships shared between the two countries.
Ms. Althea Emmanuel, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, also spoke at the ceremony, noting that the scholarships are not merely passports to higher education, but also symbols of what is possible when perseverance meets opportunity, and when international friendship fosters local empowerment.
To prepare the students for their journey, four distinguished previous Taiwan Scholarship recipient alumni shared their experiences, observations, and insights at the ceremony. The four alumni are Francine Holder, ICDF Alumnus (2021); Trisha Lionel, ICDF Alumnus (2022); Lance George, MOFA Alumnus (2018); and Centaine Joseph, MOFA Alumnus (2017).
Prior to leaving for Taiwan, the scholarship awardees will also receive a course in Mandarin from Mr. Andres Chi, Mandarin teacher from the Taiwan Technical Mission.