Up to 1,000 young people from the mainland could soon become the first to go to university in Taiwan, an official from the province's education department said yesterday.

Yang Kuo-shih, director of the higher education society, was quoted by Guangzhou Daily as saying authorities are likely to allow students to follow higher education programs on the island from next year.

"We expect about 1,000 students to study at various universities and colleges across Taiwan," he said.

Yang was in Guangzhou this week to attend the 4th Cross-Straits Higher Education Forum, which ended yesterday.

It is expected cross-Straits mutual recognition of higher education qualifications will start next year, Yang said.

In 2006, the Ministry of Education formally recognized higher education certificates approved by the Taiwan education department, but Taiwan does not yet recognize mainland academic credentials.

About 4,000 Taiwan students come to mainland universities each year to study, ministry figures show.

Very few mainland students, in the same period, have gone to Taiwan, the ministry said without giving an exact figure. Mainland students often go to Taiwan as exchange students for a short period of time.

Taiwan's education authority has extended the period mainland students are allowed to remain on the island from four months to a year, Taiwan media reported last month.

Most educators in Taiwan are in favor of removing the decades-long ban on mainland Chinese studying at Taiwan schools. A recent survey showed that the heads of more than 90 percent of the island's universities supported mainlanders being permitted to study at their institutes.

One obvious reason for this is that admitting mainland-born students would benefit their schools financially, Yang said.

Education fees in Taiwan are almost the same as on the mainland, about 10,000 yuan ($1,500) for humanities and social subjects, and 15,000 yuan for science and engineering.

(China Daily November 12, 2008)