Education | More subsidies to support students next year

Officials of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau introduce the revamped centralized kindergarten registration scheme

The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) expects to spend 14 percent more on subsidies for students who attend schools that are part of the city’s free education system. Additional subsidies have also been planned to support Macau students studying in Guangdong’s non-tertiary schools.

Aside from the aforementioned increase, special funds for students who study specific majors will also be increased, the DSEJ announced in a press conference yesterday.

Sit Weng Tou, head of the Division of Socio-Educational Aids of the DSEJ, said that the bureau expects to spend nearly MOP2.6 billion next year on approximately 68,000 students studying in schools within Macau’s free education system.

Next year, six schools will join the free education system, at which point the system will cover 94 percent of schools in Macau, providing benefits to 2,300 families. The subsidies will also extend to 15 grades of non-tertiary education.

In the upcoming academic year, 60 extra scholarships will be offered at tertiary institutions with the aim of training more students in specific majors, in particular Portuguese, speech therapy and physical therapy.

Currently, there are 390 opportunities to attain DSEJ funding for students who not only study the aforementioned majors, but also those who study primary school education and special education, alongside other educational and cultural subjects.

Students who pursue an education degree in Macau, mainland China and Taiwan are granted MOP4,560 every month, while those who study in other locations receive MOP6,960.

The subsidy for Macau students who study in Guangdong’s kindergartens, primary and middle schools is also expected to be increased.

According to Sit, there are currently approximately 4,900 children studying in mainland kindergartens, primary or middle schools. The city is only providing subsidies to those who study in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Guangzhou and Foshan.

Starting from next year, Shenzhen and Dongguan will be included as eligible cities for the fund. JZ

Centralized kindergarten registration gains support

Leong Vai Kei, head of the Department of Education of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), claimed that the “Centralized Registration Measure for First-time Infant Education Students” is supported by 97 percent of schools and by 98 percent of parents for students who are studying in the academic year of 2016/2017. Leong informed that the DSEJ estimated that approximately 6,500 infants will enrol in the first grade of kindergarten education next year, and further said that there will be enough openings for all students; somewhere around 7,000 across the city’s schools. Starting from next Thursday, parents can commence registering their children’s applications.