An open tender for the government’s “Land for Education” project on lot B1 in the Zone A land reclamation area is now underway, and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) said yesterday that the future “School Village” there was expected to provide 13,000 non-tertiary education places, including integrated and special education classes.
The Public Works Bureau (DSOP) published last Wednesday a tender notice for the foundation and basement works of one of the four Land for Education projects on lots B1, B2, C4 and C5. In response to the launch of the project, the Education and Youth Development Bureau released a statement yesterday evening, quoting the urban development plan for “Eastern District 2” as stating that the four Land for Education lots were set to provide a total of about 13,000 non-tertiary education places, accounting for about 15 percent of the 86,000 non-tertiary students in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR). In line with the urban development plan, eight school premises and an educational activity centre are planned to be built on lots B1 and B2, with the basements of the respective schools to be used as carparks and drop-off and pick-up areas for schoolchildren.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, DSEDJ Director Kong Chi Meng said that the “School Village” concept was launched after taking into account the fact that some of Macau’s schools are located on residential buildings’ podium floors or in relatively overcrowded premises. The project also aims, according to Kong, to make it more convenient for residents in Zone A to attend school in their neighbourhood and to increase the space for schools there to organise large-scale sporting events and daily physical exercise sessions.
Kong also said that in response to civil society’s demands, all the eight schools in the district will provide integrated education, with one of them to run small classes for special education.
According to previous news articles, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elise Ao Ieong U revealed as early as 2022 in the Legislative Assembly (AL) that the eight schools in Zone A comprise Escola dos Moradores (坊眾學校), Escola de Santa Madalena (聖瑪大肋納學校), Escola Sun Wah (新華學校), Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai (澳門菜農子弟學校), Lou Hau High School (勞校中學), Macau Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society (同善堂中學), Escola Hoi Fai (海暉學校), and Escola de Santa Teresa do Menino Jesus (聖德蘭學校).
Kong yesterday highlighted the project’s aim to enhance the teaching environment and the quality of teaching: “The number of school places will not be increased… after the relocation of the eight schools, the per capita area per student will be increased by three times as compared with that of the existing schools”.
The DSEDJ statement added that the average construction floor area per student in the eight schools will be increased from about four square metres per student in their current schools to about 13 square metres per student in their future schools in Zone A.
In terms of transport infrastructure, according to the bureau, a students’ drop-off and pick-up area will be set up in each school’s basement for parents and students, in the hope that the ground-level traffic congestion and pressure can be avoided. The bureau added that flyover connections and pedestrianised lanes will also be set up between lots B1, B2 and B3 with the aim of allowing students and parents to access the “School Village” via a slow-moving system.
The government’s “School Village” concept refers to the planned cluster of eight schools, including an education activity centre, in Zone A.
This undated file photo provided by the Education and Youth Development (DSEDJ) yesterday shows a visit by DSEDJ officials and school representatives to the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, including its director Kong Chi Meng (third from left, facing the camera).
