Lawmaker Ella Lei has urged the government to reinstate the original plan to remodel the Macau Yat Yuen Canidrome — once a greyhound racing stadium located in Senhora de Fátima on Macau Peninsula — into a site for educational institutions.
She delivered the request to the government through a written inquiry, in which she pointed out that the proposal would help to resolve the long-lasting predicament most schools on the podiums of buildings have been facing — which is the shortage of space.
The Macau government reclaimed the field at the Macau Yat Yuen Canidrome back in 2018. In August that year, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) revealed its plan for the former greyhound racing venue in which it proposed that the plot be used for social, cultural, and recreational purposes, as well as a construction site for schools.
At the end of 2018, the government clearly stated that it would set aside 8,000 square meters of the field purely for education facilities, with four schools expected to relocate there.
However, authorities backpedalled on the plan in May 2020, saying that the proposed use for the land plot required further review after the Urban Master Plan 2020-2040 was officially launched.
Lei argued that the public consultation on the Urban Master Plan did not have many mentions of the Macau Yat Yuen Canidrome.
Due to an increased birth rate during 2010-2014, a surge in student numbers in primary schools (which is expected to affect high schools within the next few years) has been observed. As such, Lei stressed that there is a pressing need to plan for additional educational facilities to accommodate the anticipated increase in student numbers.
It is expected that the number of local students will reach 84,651 in the coming new academic year, up 2,660 from this year. This is equivalent to 70 more classes.
Lei called on the government to speed up the resumption of its planning efforts for the former greyhound racing venue.
She also questioned the authorities about how many “podium schools” had been left unresolved in Macau and whether the current timeframe would be sufficient for the city’s high schools to carry out any enhancement and/or expansion projects necessary to cater to a greater demand for facilities later.
In 2016, the government launched the Blue Sky Project, intending to progressively iron out the problems for podium schools located at 15 buildings in 15 to 20 years.
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