Schools open despite storm, marred by teacher assault

Despite the hoisting of Signal No. 1 due to Tropical Storm Saudel, 80% of Macau schools began the new academic year yesterday, with a student population of approximately 86,000.

However, the opening day was disrupted by a reported assault in which a male secondary student allegedly poured a corrosive substance on a female teacher, injuring both and requiring them to be taken to hospital.

The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) director, Kong Chi Ming, and his officials visited two schools yesterday morning to observe the first day of classes.

He said in an interview that the number of students for the new academic year stands at around 86,000, with the number of classes remaining broadly unchanged from last year.

He noted that two school campuses – Saint John de Brito School and Caritas Kindergarten – were merged for the new school year, with Caritas Kindergarten renamed Caritas Kindergarten Affiliated to Saint John de Brito School, becoming a campus under the latter. He added that other schools are currently discussing possible mergers, while kindergarten classes continue to decline, though secondary school class numbers continue to rise.

Tropical Cyclone Saudel prompted the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) to hoist Signal No. 1 at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31. The signal remained in force yesterday.

Despite the adverse weather, the education chief said the overall situation on the first day of school was relatively smooth.

“The weather was acceptable, so the overall traffic situation was quite good,” he said, adding that the bureau had coordinated with the Transport Bureau (DSAT), the Public Security Police Force (PSP) and the two public bus operators in advance to arrange traffic measures. It also held early meetings with school principals to stagger school start times and ease traffic pressure.

First day of school brings 123,000 bus passengers

The two bus operators increased services by about 12% in response to higher travel demand on the first day of the school year, with additional buses mainly deployed on routes passing through school zones.

One operator said it would boost bus frequencies by 12% during morning and evening peak hours, with 23 routes serving school areas already strengthened. Staff were also deployed at various stops to assist passengers and manage traffic.

The other operator reported a dispatch rate of 97% on the first day, with 19 additional buses deployed compared with the same period last year, mainly on 13 school-related routes. Overall passenger trips were up about 4% year over year.

According to an update from DSAT, more than 2,000 bus trips were made during yesterday’s morning peak, up 4% from summer levels, carrying over 123,000 passengers, nearly 13,000 of whom were students.

Some major roads, including Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Taipa and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, experienced heavier traffic, although overall conditions remained smooth.

With additional schools set to resume and full classes getting underway later this week, authorities warned that travel demand is likely to continue rising and called on residents to stagger their travel schedules, as the first week of the new term presents a key test for the city’s transport network.

Student pours drain cleaner on teacher

A suspected assault occurred at Saint John de Brito School yesterday morning at around 8 a.m., when an 18-year-old male student allegedly poured drain cleaner on a female teacher in her 60s, leaving her with facial injuries and the student with burns to both hands. Both were taken to hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.

The case has been handed over to the Judiciary Police (PJ) for investigation, with the motive yet to be determined. DSEDJ said it was following up on the incident.