On 23 July 2019, Representative Francis Kuo-Hsin Liang hosted a welcome dinner for the students from the five Taiwan high schools and five Singapore junior colleges that were participating in the 36th R.O.C. - Singapore Student Exchange Program.
In his address, Representative Liang pointed out that the exchange program has seen the participation of 5,640 students over its 36 years. By allowing participants to take turns hosting one another in their homes and schools, the program has contributed to the building of an enduring friendship between Taiwan and Singapore. As an example, Representative Liang shared that a Singapore alumnus who participated in the program 30 years ago has been visiting his host family in Taiwan every year. The program has also witnessed the marriage of two former participants, one from the Taipei Municipal Chengyuan High School and the other from Singapore’s National Junior College, and the couple will be welcoming their first baby in Singapore in two weeks’ time. Moreover, an alumnus from the 1994 batch was also invited to attend the welcome dinner.
Representative Liang pointed out that the International Mathematical Olympiad now sees the participation high school students from over 100 countries. From 2016 to 2018, Taiwan and Singapore have been placed in the top ten rankings. This goes to show the high caliber of the students, and Representative Liang hopes that the students of the ten participating schools will continue the tradition of learning from each other and doing both their schools and countries proud.
Participating schools from Taipei in this year’s exchange program included Wanfang High School, Taipei Municipal Dali High School, Taipei Municipal Dazhi High School, Yangming High School and Taipei Hua Jiang High School, while those from Singapore included Hwa Chong Institution, Temasek Junior College, Raffles Institution, Victoria Junior College and National Junior College. Students from both sides put up various lively and entertaining performances for the audience at the dinner.
Group photo of Representative Francis Kuo-Hsin Liang (front row, fifth from right) and visiting principals and teachers with the 36th R.O.C. - Singapore Student Exchange Program
Performances by the students on R.O.C. - Singapore Student Exchange Program
Performances by the students on R.O.C. - Singapore Student Exchange Program