EDUCATION | GAES opens applications for International Student Identity Card

Officials from Tertiary Education Services Office introduce the plan of “International Student Identity Card

The Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES) has opened applications for the International Student Identity Card, addressing both foreign and local students attending universities in Macau or overseas. Students are able to submit their requests online until October 31.
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is recognized internationally as an ID for full time students and has been endorsed by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1968.
The Functional Head of GAES, Ms Wong Yut Peng, stated that approximately 30,000 students meet the necessary requirements to request the ISIC, including those enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees. Macau students attending foreign universities can also request the ISIC.
Since the introduction of the international student card in Macau three years ago, around 6,000 students have applied for an ISIC. Last year, 4,000 students requested the card, including 900 foreign students attending university in Macau. Ms Wong Yut Peng expressed the hope that GAES will receive a similar number of applications this year.
The Macau government is financing the ISIC program in Macau, having so far reached a budget of MOP300,000. Students holding a Macau Resident Card (BIR) will pay MOP20 for the ISIC card, whereas foreign students have to pay MOP60.
In a press conference held yesterday, GAES said that students holding an ISIC can enjoy discounts in 120 countries, which include discounts on flight, train and boat tickets, bus fares, accommodation, food, concerts and museum tickets.
GAES’ functional head acknowledged, however, that the card is more widely recognized in Europe and the USA than in Macau. “We are trying to get more places [in Macau] to introduce and accept discounts for ISIC holders. We want to expand the use of this card, particularly when students are overseas, too,” she said.
Ms Wong Yut Peng added that GAES aims to facilitate an increase in the number of students requesting ISIC. She revealed that, between 2012 and 2013, the number of requests for international student cards doubled.
Students can submit their applications online (via studentblog.gaes.gov.mo) until October 31 and can pay the fee through their higher education institutions, or at the Macau’s Higher Education Center, and the Hong Kong Overseas Studies Center in Macau.
In a statement, GAES said that it has organized a series of seminars on career planning, which will address approximately 120 students. Speakers from different sectors such as cultural and creative industries, economics, and technologies, were invited to share stories about their career paths, as well as providing career advice.

Catarina Pinto