President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of July 21 with a group of students and teachers representing Taiwan's entrants in the International Schools CyberFair 2011. The president expressed his admiration for the efforts made by the teams from Taiwan in using modern technology to promote traditional culture, and encouraged them to continue with this work.
The president remarked that students from Taiwan began participating in the International Schools CyberFair back when he was serving as Taipei City mayor. Out of 110 medals up for contention at this year’s event, the participants from Taiwan won 12 platinum medals, 18 golds, and 16 silvers, for a total medal count of 46. This marked the ninth consecutive year that Taiwan was the biggest medal winner in the event, he said.
President Ma expressed his belief that this honor not only showcases the outstanding abilities of Taiwan students in using the Internet, but also demonstrates their deep understanding of local culture, history, and arts. This is what truly moved the judging panel, the president said.
The president mentioned that this year's competition focused on a wide variety of themes, including local leaders, community groups, and local businesses. The wide subject matter offered ample opportunity for students to tap into their creativity, and their efforts won praise from international judges. President Ma pointed out that in recent years, Taiwan's youth have put in outstanding performances in many different international activities, such as the iENA Nuremberg, international invention exhibitions in Geneva, Switzerland, and Malaysia, the Asian Physics Olympiad, and the International Physics Olympiad. The excellence displayed in these events is a result of the efforts to cultivate the minds of the people of Taiwan, the president said.
President Ma stated that internationalization and localization are two sides of the same coin. Inevitably, these two concepts go hand in hand, he said, expressing his hope that the students who won honors at the CyberFair will continue to pursue their understanding of the history, culture, customs, and lifestyles of the places where they live, as well as foster a compassion and concern for others. They will then pass their knowledge to the next generation, making each generation better than the previous, he noted.
The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Minister of Education Wu Tsai-shung (吳財順) to meet President Ma.