Taiwan has evinced interest to collaborate with Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University for joint degree program and to enable students to learn Mandarin for enhancing their prospects for placement in Taiwanese companies.

“We are keen to collaborate with SOA as it is famous for its medical and engineering institutes and set up a Taiwan Education Center in the university where students can learn Mandarin,” Mr. Peters Li-ying Chen, Assistant Representative Director, Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India, said here on Friday.

Mr. Chen, who called on SOA Founder President Prof. (Dr.) Manojranjan Nayak in the university office, said Taiwan is keen to facilitate signing of MoUs between Indian and Taiwanese universities for joint collaborations and academics.

He said the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India had already set up 25 Taiwan Education Centers in Indian universities including in IIT-Bombay and IIT-Madras. “We will be providing Mandarin teachers from Taiwan to teach Indian students who can learn the language as it would help them in getting placement in Taiwanese companies,” he said.

The collaboration would also explore the possibility of introduction of two year post-graduate courses in semiconductors and exchange of students and faculty. The students can study in India for one year and then spend another year in Taiwan for industry exposure, he said adding it would help in their getting recruited in companies there including Foxconn, one of the largest manufacturers of high end semiconductor chips.