Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man said yesterday that her bureau had decided to lay off a number of non-resident workers (NRWs), insisting that currently only three NRW dance instructors are still employed by the School of Dance of the Macao Conservatory, following a Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) statement on Tuesday according to which the bureau had been employing NRWs as dance instructors for years.
Leong made the remarks when asked by reporters about the issue on the sidelines of yesterday’s reception at the Forum Macao Complex which marked the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
Macau’s graft busters launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from a resident who claimed that the bureau’s practice of employing NRWs was violating qualified residents’ employment rights and interests, according to the CCAC statement, which did not mention how many NRWs had been employed by the school over the years.
The CCAC investigation discovered that the Macao Conservatory had been employing dance instructors from the mainland for years, and that 80 percent of them were NRWs, according to the statement.
Leong said that she respected the CCAC’s conclusions and recommendations about the NRW employment issue and had conducted a review and made procedural adjustment to implement the mechanism of laying off NRWs as recommended by the anti-graft body which is also tasked with investigating suspected administrative illegalities.
Leong also said there had been a lack of local professional dancers at the inception of the dance school, but after more than 10 years of training, the number of local professionals was nowadays sufficient.
Therefore, Leong said, in the past two years, the number NRWs working as dance instructors at the school had gradually decreased, adding that there are currently 10 instructors employed by the school, only three of who are NRWs, while all of the music and drama teachers are local residents.
At the same time, Leong added, a recruitment drive for local dance instructors is being carried out by the bureau and that three more local instructors would be recruited to meet teaching requirements, curricular arrangements and students’ needs.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man speaks to reporters at the Services Platform Complex for Commercial and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (aka Forum Macao Complex) yesterday. – Photo: Tony Wong
