The finals and prize-giving ceremony of the 12th Macau Youth Diplomatic Knowledge Contest was held late yesterday afternoon at Kao Yip Middle School – whose team won the competition.
The annual event aims to broaden students’ understanding of the nation’s foreign affairs, international news, and the global COVID-19 situation, according to a joint statement by the local government and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR)
The event was co-hosted by the Macau government and the Commissioner’s Office and co-organised by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ).
Commissioner Liu Xianfa, Deputy Commissioner Wang Dong, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR Zheng Xincong, jury members, other officials and community representatives attended the ceremony.
The statement noted that eight local high school teams made it to the finals out of 34 teams. They were Sheng Kung Hui Choi Kou School, the affiliated School of the University of Macau (ASUM), Kao Yip Middle School, Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, Keang Peng School, Pui Ching Middle School, Kwong Tai Middle School, and Hou Kong Middle School.
The contest consisted of four parts, consisting of multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks questions, discourse, and panel game quiz.
Kao Yip Middle School came first with a score of 413, Pui Ching Middle School came in second (388), Keang Peng finished third (378), and Sheng Kung Hui Choi Kou School came in fourth (377).
One of the judges, Richard Hu Weixing, dean of the University of Macau’s Faculty of Social Sciences, said that the discourse section was “appealing” and the students demonstrated clear points and accurate evidence to support their argument. Hu also pointed out that the students had fluent Putonghua speaking skills. Hu also said that students should use fewer catchphrases and focus on conveying their point of view.
Fellow jury member Ran Bo, director of the Policy Research of the Office of the Commissioner, said that the participating students showed a great understanding of the nations’ foreign affairs, which he described as “remarkable”.
In her prize-giving ceremony speech, Ao Ieong underlined that “a community with a shared future for mankind” is the core concept for the nation, therefore, local students should reflect on how they could carry on the nation’s prosperity as well as involve themselves and act as an important force for the country’s development, Ao Ieong added.
Reporters asked the winning team, Kao Yip Middle School, about their preparation. One of the members surnamed Cheong said that the team trained and practised for a year. Cheong highlighted that they practised speaking and trained themselves to be quick to respond. When asked about their performance yesterday, Cheong said that every member had made good use of their skills acquired throughout the year which allowed the team to win.
Members of the Kao Yip Middle School team, winners of the 12th Macau Youth Diplomatic Knowledge Contest, and Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa (centre), pose on the stage at Kao Yip Middle School late yesterday afternoon. Photo: Ula Cheang
