Education | Mainland-Macau youth exchange to be expanded

Local students pictured during a graduation ceremony

The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) will expand youth exchange programs between mainland China and Macau. This information was revealed during a DSEJ press conference organized yesterday.

The bureau also conducted a plenary meeting during which several topics in relation to youth affairs were discussed.

Chan Un Peng, a division chief at the Department of Youth of DSEJ, said that enhancing youth exchange activities between mainland China and Macau means that a greater number of young people will be involved.

Additional exchange programs of different types will be added, with the mainland side launching more enterprise programs for youths from Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

The Chief of the Department of Youth of DSEJ, Un Hoi Cheng, explained that enriching mainland and Macau youth exchange programs “allows the Macau youth to understand the development of the country as well as its history and culture.” Un further noted that Macau’s education instruction has requirements in relation to this topic.

In regard to the exact number of participants in previous exchange programs with the Mainland, and the students who will be included in the future, Un claimed that the bureau currently has no data or information.

“There are many options and ways for the youth to go to the mainland, as many organizations offer such programs, but [DSEJ] temporarily has no data,” said Un, who also noted that “they [the aforementioned exchange programs] are not a project proposed by Macau,” reminding that the overall project was advocated by mainland China.

In addition to these programs, the Youth Indicators of Macau will also be undergoing various changes.

The Youth Indicators of Macau, established in February 2003, covers 10 areas of research – including marriage and family, physical and mental health, civic duties and social participation, youth crime and deviant behaviors, values, and 80 additional indicators.

DSEJ noted that as society undergoes changes, new indicators should be established to reflect these changes. 

Another important issue addressed during meeting was life education.

Chow Pui Leng, Director of the Centre of Psycho-pedagogical Support and Special Education of DSEJ, claimed that her service has always focused on life education, in particular by organizing training sessions for parents and funding associations to hold related events to aid local youth.

According to Chow, Macau currently has about 210 student consultants assigned across the region’s schools, half of whom hold psychology degrees. Multiple consultants are assigned to each school.