Briefs | Tourist Price Index decreases during Q1

The Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the first quarter of 2016 decreased by 6.67 percent when compared to a year ago. The Statistics and Census Service attributes the index drop to lower charges for hotel accommodation, and the reduced prices of handbags and women’s clothing. The price index of Accommodation decreased most significantly by 23.80 percent year-on-year, followed by Entertainment & Cultural Activities (-2.35 percent) and Clothing & Footwear (-1.98 percent). Conversely, the price index of Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco increased by 3.77 percent and that of Transport & Communications rose by 2.31 percent.

Student left alone on school bus

A kindergarten student from Escola Fong Chong da Taipa was left alone on a school bus for seven hours on Monday, Macao Daily News reported. The school bus arrived on campus around 8 a.m., and was parked in the playground of the primary school wing. At 2:40 p.m., the bus driver found the student alone in the vehicle. The student’s head teacher had acknowledged the student’s absence but had not contacted the parents.The school later apologized for the carelessness of the both the driver and the school bus escort, also admitting the teacher’s negligence in dealing with the situation. Going forward, bus drivers will be required to count all students on board, and teachers will have to call parents before 9:30 a.m. if any of the students are missing from school.

UM to host ‘Portuguese Language Day’

The University of Macau’s (UM) Department of Portuguese will host its annual Portuguese Language Day this coming Monday in two sessions, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will kick off with an open lecture on learning Portuguese as a foreign language, presented by two graduating students from the department. The lecture will be followed by a presentation of UM’s Portuguese studies programs. In addition to a Portuguese food festival, and music and drama performances by students, the UM will hold a second edition of the Portuguese Language on-Campus Challenge, along with a guest performance by a UM alumna from the Department of Portuguese, who is now an artist in Hong Kong.