‘Pay-first, apply-later’ rule introduced for MOP6,000 continuing education subsidies

Despite the current 2023–2026 Continuing Education and Development Program remaining in force, authorities on Friday unveiled new arrangements for the 2026–2029 cycle, including plans to implement a “pay-first, apply-later” mechanism.

The Continuing Education and Development Program, launched in 2011 to promote lifelong learning among residents aged 15 and over, offers subsidies of up to MOP6,000 per person for courses and certification exams.

Authorities said Friday that the new arrangements aim to improve subsidy efficiency, raise attendance, and curb noncompliance, noting that five phases of the program between 2011 and 2026 drew more than 1.56 million participants.

At Friday’s Executive Council press conference, Executive Council spokesperson Wong Sio Chak, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, introduced the draft administrative regulation for the 2026–2029 Continuing Education Development Program, which is set to take effect on April 1.

Under the proposal, Macau residents who turn 15 on or before December 31 in any year from 2026 to 2029 will be automatically enrolled from January 1 of the relevant year, and each beneficiary may receive up to MOP6,000 in subsidies. The subsidy will cover tuition or certification-exam fees for higher-education and continuing-education courses offered by local and overseas institutions between July 1 this year and June 30, 2029.

Authorities said beneficiaries must pay tuition up front and apply for reimbursement only if any of the following conditions are met: the requested subsidy for a course is MOP3,000 or more; the beneficiary’s attendance for the subsidized course falls below 30%; the beneficiary’s overall attendance under the current phase is under 30%; or the beneficiary fails to meet specified obligations.

Subsidies will be released after an online application once a course attendance rate reaches 70%.

The bill proposes that subsidies continue to cover tuition or certification-exam fees for higher-education and continuing-education programs offered by local and non-local institutions, provided beneficiaries maintain a course attendance rate of at least 70% to qualify for a refund of the deposit.

The refund would be raised to 50% of the relevant tuition fees, and applicants would no longer be required to submit proof of tuition payment when applying to the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) for the grant.