About 80 percent of primary and secondary schools in Macau will start their new academic year next Monday, September 2, with some of the new school divisions getting off the ground, and the government said yesterday that it would ensure a “smooth” traffic flow and “safe” transport preparations for students and teachers on their trips to and from their schools ahead of the new academic year.
According to a joint statement by the Transport Bureau (DSAT), Public Security Police (PSP) and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) yesterday, the three entities and the city’s two public bus operators recently held a meeting about their preparations tackling the possibly increased volume of traffic at the start of the new school year, including the deployment of more traffic police officers to manage the flow of people at busier traffic points and in the vicinity of schools, the timely increase in various bus routes’ frequency and the preparation of emergency support to help teachers and students get around safely.
The statement quoted the Transport Bureau’s commitment during the meeting that most of the roadworks carried out during the summer holidays will be completed by Saturday, adding that of the city’s 24 major roadworks during the summer, only 10 will still be taking place after the start of the new school year, including, among others, the work on the pumping station and box-culverts at the waterfront of Patane North Bay, the work on the rainwater pumping station and drainage system in the southern Inner Harbour area and the work to build the utility tunnel at the Zone A land reclamation project.
The statement urged teachers, students and their parents to plan their itineraries as early as possible, allow enough time for their trips, favour walking or using public transport and pay attention to official traffic and weather information. Parents planning to drive their kids to schools are advised to use drop-off areas, in order to avoid violating the traffic law and obstructing the flow of traffic.
According to the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), as of October 26 last year, the number of non-tertiary education institutions in Macau in the 2023-24 academic year stood at 76, comprising 116 school divisions.
This undated handout photo along with a joint statement provided by the Transport Bureau (DSAT), Public Security Police (PSP) and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) yesterday shows a pedestrian crossing in front of Hou Kong Middle School (Primary Section) on Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque.
