Emotional graduation for Melco Crown’s first in-house students

It is never easy for people who have been working for years to return to school. After overcoming all sorts of difficulties in family life and at work, three employees of Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) were able to graduate from the group’s in-house high school diploma program yesterday after four years of study. The program is the first and only program of its kind in Macau,.
The graduation ceremony took place in Grand Hyatt, located within City of Dreams. The three graduates, So Chun Kit, Cheang Ka Wa and Chong Sok I, received their diplomas during the event.
In her speech, the head of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau’s department of education Leong Vai Kei described the ceremony as “a historical moment.”
“In Macau, although there are many close collaborations between government departments and civil organizations, this is the first time in hundreds of years that a government school has sent teachers to a private enterprise to set up a high school program with students successfully graduating from it. Therefore, [the three graduates] have actually created an important chapter in the history of Macau. And I congratulate you.”
The department head acknowledged that the process has been tough for all students who joined the program, their families, their superiors, as well as their teachers. She also expressed her wish that other enterprises might join MCE in providing similar programs to their employees.
Meanwhile, Melco Crown Co-chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho said that yesterday was a special day for the three students.
“[They went to class] three hours per day after a full work day, for five days per week, and for four years. This is not to mention the family responsibilities that they have to juggle.”
“We hope that this will serve as an inspiration for all those colleagues [who are] currently enrolled in the program, and those who haven’t enrolled because [they think that] it is too late in their lives [to study].”
Mr Ho said that surveys show that many of his employees did not achieve their high school diplomas. It is also difficult for them to study after working full-time.
As a result, MCE has allowed the teaching to take place in the group’s Learning Academy, which has enabled students to attend classes without worrying about the commute.
“I hope that today’s graduates can serve as an inspiration for all of us [to believe] that anything is possible,” Lawrence Ho concluded.
The three graduates were also given the chance to deliver speeches.
Cheang Ka Wa was particularly emotional when she spoke to the attendants of yesterday’s ceremony. The Altira pit supervisor had to stop several times to calm herself and wipe the tears from her face.
Looking back on her three-and-a-half-year study period, Ms Cheang remarked that it was not a straight path.
She said that she is very thankful for her teachers, who did not only teach her knowledge from the books, but also various issues ranging from personal ethics, to childcare and traveling.
Cheang Ka Wa also expressed her gratitude towards her classmates and joked that she felt like returning to the year when she was a 16-year-old high school student.
The Altira pit supervisor revealed that she has a six-year plan and is looking forward to graduating from university, with her daughter finishing high school six years later.
Another graduate, Chong Sok I, described her years of study as “an acting career with sweat and tears,” in which she has to play the roles of a housewife, a pit supervisor and a student.
She concluded her speech by motivating her colleagues: “I can; so can you!”
The in-house “Back to School” high school diploma program, which started in April 2010, was the result of the cooperation between MCE, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Escola Secundária Luso-Chinesa de Luís Gonzaga Gomes. Since its establishment, over 80 MCE employees have enrolled in the program.

MCE “less interested” in non-gaming projects

When asked about the recent announcement regarding MSAR’s cooperation with Guangdong government in Hengqin and Cuiheng, Melco Crown CEO Lawrence Ho replied that his group’s focus is on the development and operation of integrated resorts. “Therefore, we are less interested in non-gaming projects,” he said.
Mr Ho also indicated that the construction of Macau Studio City is going according to plan, and the venue is expected to open in mid-2015. The CEO said that the slowdown in the growth of gaming revenue will not affect MCE’s investment plan. “We had opened [City of Dreams] during the 2009 financial crisis… In the long term, I think Macau is still the best market.”