A Higher Calling

[Sponsored article] The newly revised Macau Higher Education Act, which is moving to the committee stage, is set to have a big impact on education in the SAR.

A new higher education law brings improvements

 “The law regulating Macau’s higher education was established some 20 years ago. It has failed to keep up with the times and the development of tertiary institutions,” says Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary of Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR). “This outdated law, which is causing trouble to institutions and hindering higher education development, desperately needs revision. The act gained general approval from the Legislative Assembly in 2015. The final draft was the result of more than 10 meetings of the Standing Committees, and some 20 meetings concerning technical issues. We are confident that it will be passed within the term of office of the current Legislative Assembly,” Tam says.

“Should the act be passed, our institutions can expect to enjoy greater flexibility and independence when they introduce master’s or doctoral degree programmes, establish research institutes or adopt credit systems,” Tam says. “We also hope to set up a higher education committee consultancy to provide constructive advice on the development of tertiary institutions, and encourage them to obtain quality assurance from independent third parties, thereby increasing Macau’s overall academic standards and global recognition.”

 “The Macau government has spared no effort in promoting Macau as a world-class travel and leisure spot and thus rendered full support to education, training relevant practitioners from a professional perspective,” says Tam. “For example, the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS) has a number of courses accredited by the Tourism Education Quality certification body of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).  Other institutions also offer a wide range of tourism and hospitality management courses, which every year attract a large number of students and government officials, especially from the Asia-Pacific region and developing countries, for study or exchange in Macau. In this light, Macau is recognised as the U.N. tourism training centre, comparable to Switzerland, the US, and other places where tourism is more developed.”