Alexis Tam says moving schools from housing complexes is priority

Alexis Tam (center) inspects the Caritas School accompanied by Paul Pun (2nd from left)

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, says that it is a priority to move schools from housing building podiums to specific “open space” locations built specifically for the purpose in a place where the students can “see the blue sky.” Tam gave more details on a plan first presented by the Chief Executive Chui Sai On during his Policy Address presentation.
Talking to journalists on the sidelines of yesterday’s visit to the Caritas School located in the NAPE district, Mr Tam explained that currently many institutions operate in conditions that he considers “not adequate” for educational purposes, i.e. without a patio or an outdoor area. The secretary also thinks that these institutions that operate in housing buildings are somehow “disconnected” from other social services and need to be integrated in a wider perspective. The project to move them to facilities deemed appropriate will be done in three phases, namely short, middle and long-term. In the first phase, priority will be given to schools that teach students with special needs.
“I think that in Macau we have enough resources to be able to give the right response to the requirements of students with special needs so we are going to take the schools out of the building podiums, especially the ones for special education. We are going to give priority to these kind of schools,” said Mr Tam.
In this first phase, the secretary expects to move fifteen schools that will occupy several land lots in the Taipa (Jardins de Lisboa area) and Coloane areas, namely in the surroundings of Seac Pai Van.
As informed also by Mr Tam, the first two schools involved in this process will be the Caritas School that he visited yesterday and the Women’s General Association school, currently operating in Rua do Campo.
“We plan to move on this first phase a total of 15 schools and we are also studying the possibility of combining that with other social services such as for the elderly, people with handicaps, among other social services,” the secretary said.
Questioned about the recent criticism made in a Audit Commission report regarding the lack of transparency over subsidies attributed to private schools by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, Alexis Tam admitted that are still issues that need to be addressed and that there is space for improvement. He stated that the services will work on issuing updated and clearer school guidelines while closely monitoring the subsidies.
Questioned by the Times over Caritas Macau’s most pressing needs regarding its activities, Mr Paul Pun, the institution’s secretary general, stated that it was “manpower, especially carers for the elderly, people with mental illness and the physically disabled,” adding that currently the number of staff working at the school is still adequate to meet their needs.
Regarding the possibility advanced by Mr Tam to move the Caritas School to Taipa, Mr Pun said, “We need to see the final announcement from the government but changes are always good for the development of the school.”
Alexis Tam will present the Policy Address for the areas under his supervision this December 3 and 4.