A group of students sitting outside of Changhua's Chung Chou University of Science and Technology chat away in their native languages. These foreign students came to Taiwan without knowing Mandarin, and were upset when they didn't see the English-taught classes that the university had promised.
Some Ugandan students complained that only two professors were able to conduct classes in English, and that their scholarship checks had bounced, forcing them to find part-time jobs where they need to work over the weekly limit of 20 hours.
Chung Chou University says it never promoted that all courses were taught only in English to foreign students. As for the scholarship money, the university says it had to adjust the tuition subsidies based on the students' academic performance due to the pandemic.
The university's Centre for International Exchange director Li Shu-ling says that the scholarship policy has been the same since the 2020 spring semester, and that the subsidy is only meant to cover half of the student's expenses.
Education ministry official Yang Yu-hui says the university has done a poor job of assisting its foreign students. Due to the university's negligence, the ministry is banning them from recruiting any more foreign students and giving them a deadline to present proof of improved conditions for current students.
Hopefully the students will receive better support in the future and graduate with not only a degree but also a mastery of Mandarin.