Pui Ching Middle School Principal Kou Kam Fai told The Macau Post Daily yesterday in a phone interview that his school has yet to receive any confirmation on whether it will be getting a new plot of land, specifically Lot 12 next to the One Oasis residential estate, for a new campus, so the school currently does not have any “concrete plans” to open a new school.
Kou, a government-appointed member of the local legislature, also said that around seven to eight years ago, his school applied to the government for a piece of land for a second campus. He noted that every year there are about 1,000 to 1,300 children whose parents apply for K1, when there are only 168 spots available. He stressed that as demand for enrolment is high his school decided to ask the government for help to see whether there was a place for Pui Ching to expand. However, he added, the government has yet to respond to his school’s application for a plot of land.
According to Kou, the school’s application for a new space stated that it plans to offer an education programme from kindergarten to secondary school on the new campus.
When asked whether Pui Ching planned to become an international school if the government approved its application, Kou said that the education offered by his school is already “very international”, stressing that as there is still no official reply from the government, the school has no concrete plans concerning its education programme for its desired second campus. He stressed that more details would be discussed only if the school receives the government’s official response to its application.
Meanwhile, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEDJ) replied to The Macau Post Daily’s enquiry in a statement yesterday that the bureau has been receiving a number of applications from different education associations. The statement said that according to the current stage of urban planning, the respective plot is earmarked for building social facilities, adding that a school facility there “is already under construction”. In the statement, the bureau did not disclose any details about the construction project, nor the name of the school that will be using the facility under construction.
The bureau said that it will consider Macau’s birth rate, enrolment demand, campus improvements, education development and demands by civil society when assessing school campus applications. The statement stressed that the bureau will announce the results in due course.
Our fellow English-language newspaper Macau Daily Times reported yesterday that Pui Ching was “expected to run an international school in Coloane.”
Official logo of Macau’s Pui Ching Middle School – Wikipedia
