For the first time in a decade, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) will run a survey asking local teachers about the mainland “instructor-teacher” program, Kong Chi Meng, Deputy Director of the bureau recently said.
About a month ago, social media users spotted an Official Gazette entry that announced the employment of 27 teachers from the mainland. They were earning the salary level of a senior technician in the government, equating to nearly MOP40,000 per month at current salary denomination.
Furthermore, information released subsequently showed that the government has run the program for nearly 12 years. However, the government has never released any reviews about the program and was accused of lacking in transparency as a result.
As far as is understood, mainland teachers have been brought into Macau to instruct local teachers on their teaching methods and skills. It is also believed that mainland teachers familiarize local teachers with national education standards and curricula.
Some media outlets reported that teachers were not happy with the effectiveness of the program. They said that although some mainland teachers were rigorous and respected their job immensely, others were perfunctory in their approach.
When questioned why the regulator has only received positive feedback so far, Kong did not give a justification. Rather, he reiterated that the regulator has channels to receive feedback from local teachers.
Kong expressed his trust in local teachers’ willingness and ability to express themselves honestly with regard to the program. However, he did not comment on the question of whether teachers had a supportive environment to express themselves when the regulator is extensively praising the program.
He also admitted that some mainland teachers received the chance to remain in Macau after the conclusion of their time in the program. AL
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