Siu Wai Lam and Wong Kim Peng, students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Macau (UM), earned UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific) Taiwan Scholarship which equals 15,000 new Taiwan dollars per month. The first two beneficiaries, not only within the scope of UM but within Macao as well, will study in the Department of Special Education of Taipei University of Education (TUE) in the first semester of the 2006/2007 academic year. From UM’s perspective, the exchange to the Department of Special Education which has been developing for many years since its establishment in TUE shall allow the students to learn more about the discipline and, on the other hand, make up for the shortage of special-education-related disciplines and professionals in Macao. The two students also conveyed their hope of taking the opportunity to advance knowledge, making UM’s recommendation worthwhile and serving the community better in the future.
Founded in 1993, UMAP currently has 360 member institutions of higher education from 31 countries and territories. The University of Macau is one of its permanent members. The association aims to achieve enhanced international understanding through increased mobility of university students and staff in Asia and the Pacific. The UMAP Taiwan Scholarship was established as a service which Taiwan provides, in its capacity as a member of UMAP, for students of other member territories. With annual sponsorship to a maximum of 10 local and 10 overseas students for their outgoing study, the Scholarship strengthens university-to-university links and student-to-student exchanges between UMAP members. Not only the two UM students but four Japanese, one Australian, and two Mongolians also won the overseas-student-part of the Scholarship for the coming academic year.